Imperfect Grimm
by Lightan117
Summary: She was something different, something that wasn't supposed to exist but she managed to prove the odds wrong. All her life she was a subsitute for the real thing, a fake living a lie until giving the chace to live it as truth. Helping her brother understand the wesen world she's dragged into something she was warned about years ago. War is coming. A war that needed one more grimm..
1. Chapter 1

_"_Do not go gentle.___" ― __Ally Condie__, __Matched_

~oOo~

It was just a dream. That's all it was but for some reason, I keep having it. Almost like a memory_._ I've never told anyone about it in all of my twenty-four years. I had to protect it, just like my gift, so that no one would know. I was told, from my dream that no one can ever know about what happened, why I survived; cheating death. I swore to _her_ that I would protect this secret, protect her. Even if I believe that it is a dream…it still feels like a memory.

But years later I would understand it's not a dream at all.

But a lost memory…a forgotten one.

"_Ana, don't wonder off. We'll be leaving soon." My mom said, packing away the camping stuff. I remember this day. My family and I were camping for a week, to get away from the city life as we do ever since I was born. I'm six, my older brother Nick is ten and we're playing near the forest close to our cabin. Nick is teasing me since I'm wearing a red sweater so that made me Red Riding Hood. Mom told me not to wear it but I brought it along anyway, ignoring her warning. _

"_I bet you're scared to go into the woods by yourself." Nick teased. I looked into the woods and a sudden chill came over me but I turned towards Nick, pouting. _

"_No I'm not! I can go into those woods for five minutes without being scared. I bet you all your money in your piggy bank back home that says I can do it." I challenged him. Nick stuck out it hand._

"_Okay. But if you don't, you have to wear whatever I give you one the first day of school next week. Whatever it is, you have to wear it. Deal?" I took Nick's hand and shook it._

"_Deal." I said and started to walk into the woods by myself as Nick set his watch. It was early morning so a light fog settled on the forest floor. Something in the back of my mind was screaming to get away, to forget the bet and run back into my parents arms but I couldn't. I make and keep my deals. Thank my dad for that. "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf, big bad wolf. Who's afraid of the big bad wolf, big bad wolf. Certainly not I." I sang quietly to myself. I started singing that song a few days ago before we left to camping and my parents certainly hate when I sing it, especially when my aunt visits. _

_I continued to walk a little ways until I heard what sounded like someone fighting. I was frightened at first but curiosity got the better at me. I moved slower until I could make out a clearing ahead. When I got close I noticed a woman, wearing all white with white hair kneeling on the ground, something red was staining through her clothes as three black figured stood in front of her. They looked like grim reapers from the way they were standing, holding some type of weapon in their hands. _

"_Get it over with reaper. Kill the last of my kind." The woman hissed as wings unfolded from her back. She's an angel!_

"_How ironic how the last of the purest of creatures will be slaughtered like the monsters they are. I'll enjoy this." Said a man's voice as he smiled and raised his weapon to strike. "Welcome your soul to our blades." The woman closed her eyes, ready for his blade when my feet started to move on their own. I don't know why but I kept feeling a pull towards the woman, a sad protective lonely feeling. I moved in front of her just as dark figure brought down his weapon, slicing a large cut on my chest. I felt something warm and sticky spread across my chest, then a burning pain. I fell to the ground just as a white blur jumped over me. I couldn't really tell what was going on but everything was in a haze, the burning pain spreading all over. I could make out a few screams of pain along with a few curses my dad would say when he smashes his finger with his hammer before everything went quiet, a soft breath breathing heavy. _

_I just laid there….dying…_

"_Foolish child, why did you jump in front of me? You couldn't just let me die?" The woman's voice sounded like wind chimes that were echoing. She sat down beside me, her long white hair falling over her shoulders as her white eyes looked down at me. The red blotch on her dress was gone and her wings looked better than before. "And yet…I am grateful. You've giving me a chance…and for that, you will not die this day." The woman placed a hand over my wound and closed her eyes. The pain started to go away and I could feel my skin moving back together. When she was done I sat up and looked down at my torn sweater, a pink scar about two inches long sat on top of my heart. "You will have that mark forever little one but you have your life, a half life that is and for that I am sorry."_

"_Half life? What do you mean?" I asked the woman when I found my voice._

"_A reapers scythe takes life and yet you life. Its blade took half of your life." She answered me._

"_What does that mean? Who are you? Who were those men?" My brain was moving faster, my heart beat sped up._

"_Relax child, you are safe. Those men are called Reapers, killers of Grimm and…my kind. My name is Serenity and I am…not important right now but you must listen to me for I do not have much time." Serenity placed a hand over my eyes and another over my heart. "You will live a half life now so I will give you your greatest weapon and yet your greatest weakness. There will come a time when you must risk your life but you must have no fear. I will be watching, protecting and guiding you until that time. Be careful little one, those Reapers will know you now. Do not let humans see you, keep this secret close. Only trust it to those who deserve that trust." She said to me and removed her hands._

"_What did you do to me?" I asked her. She looked so tired and worn now…_

"_I gave you the sight of a Grimm. Usually only one Grimm is allowed in a family but you…you need to see. I also gave you the gift of possession. You will be able to borrow a wesen's ability to woge or change into what you see. Be not afraid little one for they are more frightened of you than you are of them." She explained._

"_What's a wesen?" I asked her. _

"_I cannot say at this time little one for you will learn when you're older." She petted my hair with a sad smile. "You will have a hard life little one. There is a lot to taken in but you must not forget what you did." She pointed to my heart. "Follow this as you did today. Do not become cold and uncaring for what you see around you. Smile and help them for they do not know the way. You will learn that there are some who are beyond help but do not forget those who are not. I have faith in you little one. I'll be watching." And with that she kissed my forehead and disappeared, fading out with whispers in the air. When she was gone my eyes began to sting and my chest felt like it was on fire. I screamed as loud as I could, the pain getting worse and worse until I fell to the forest floor once more. In the distance I could hear my parents and Nick yelling, calling for me but I continued to scream. Whispers in a different language grew louder and louder, my vision becoming blurry._

"_Anastasia! Anastasia!" My mom continued to yell for me as my eyes started to close…and the darkness fell on me…_

Anastasia…

Anastasia…

"Anastasia wake up!" I jumped awake and landed on the floor of my Aunt's living room with a thud. I groaned and opened my eyes to see my Aunt standing over me with her hands on her hips, a small smile on her lips as she looked at me. "What time did you get home last night Anastasia?" My Aunt asked me with a chuckle as she helped me out of the sheet that was wrapped around me.

"Around two maybe three in the morning. Where's the fire?" I asked then froze. "Are you okay? Are you in pain?" I asked her, getting to my feet quickly. My Aunt has cancer, really bad cancer that has left her bald and as of right now, dying.

"No dear, I'm fine. Just surprised that you stayed up all night when you know that we're leaving for Portland this morning. We need to see that brother of yours." Aunt Marie smiled that weird smile of her then went into the kitchen. I've been living with this crazy woman ever since our parents died sixteen years ago. When Nick was old enough he went off to college and started his own life. As for me, I went to college too, but I stayed with Aunt Marie for…different reasons. "As soon as we get there, you will no longer be a Grimm so why are you frowning?"

That's the reason.

Since there could only be one Grimm in a family Nick was chosen and I was stick as a 'substitute' Grimm. Since Aunt Marie is dying, Nick should start seeing….things about now. Lucky him.

"Why does there only have to be one Grimm? I've trained, killed, stopped, and helped Wesen all over the U.S! Nick knows nothing about the Wesen world and he's never faced what I have. Why must it be Nick?" I asked as I walking into the kitchen still dressed in my jeans, white tank top and plaid shirt over it.

"Grimms only inherit the powers when the Grimm of the generation before them dies. You were able to see at age six, far too young to be a Grimm and no Grimm in our family had died. Since I am dying, Nick is going to be a Grimm soon enough weather you like it or not." Aunt Marie said. I groaned and went upstairs to finish packing. After last's night…search, I didn't have much to pack since most of my stuff was already shipped to a house I bought in Portland. After high school I went into college as a private detective, something that a Grimm does best at since Grimms possess superior fighting skills, and good heads for observation and, a Grimm's uncanny instincts for people and their personalities; even besides that their ability to sense the supernatural. I graduated early and started my 'detective' businesses. I usually take human jobs but the most of my time is spent with my Aunt, hunting down rouge Wesen who start trouble. My Aunt does the killing; I do the negotiating with those who've just made bad choices but there have been times where it's up to me to put them down. There are always sides to different stories; for me, I really don't have one.

A few months ago Aunt Marie got news that the cancer has taken a turn for the worst, giving her at most a couple of months. Since she's dying I decided to buy a really nice and old looking house, much to my taste in things old century, and move in. Once Aunt Marie dies it's up to me to train Nick on how to be a Grimm.

Great.

"Anastasia, car's packed! Time to leave!" Aunt Marie called from the bottom of the steps. I changed out of my dirty clothes and changed into a fresh pair of boot cut jeans, a low cut blue shirt and a black vest to go with it. I zipped up my duffel bag, grabbed my violin case and went down stairs to see my Aunt waiting for me. I walked out of the house and put my things in the back seat of my Aunt station wagon, looking back at the house I grew up in all my live before getting in the front seat. My Aunt locked up her house and got in the driver's seat, starting her up then taking off down the street with her silver trailer hooked up. "Don't be sad Ana; you'll see this place someday." My Aunt gave me a smile so I smiled back. Tears pricked my eyes and I reclined the seat, closing my eyes to catch up on my sleep. I felt my Aunt pat my hand before returning it to the steering wheel.

I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't want my Aunt to die and I didn't want to give up on being a Grimm to Nick who will be freaking out by the time we arrive. I have to help him, even if he is my brother, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I've made friends in the Wesen world more than I have in the normal human one but I have also made enemies too. Bringing Nick into this…is going to a lot more work than my Aunt says it will be. I just hope Nick will understand and not go off his rocker when he learns to accept it.

~oOo~


	2. Chapter 2

"_Once you want something, everything changes." __― __Ally Condie__, __Matched_

~oOo~

Kill me, kill me now!

I've been driving with Aunt Marie for hours now and I want to kill myself. It's not the driving, oh no, it's her singing! She likes listening to very, very old music that makes me want to beat my head against the window. I've begged her, over and over, to stop singing but she goes and pulls out the Grimm card so I shut up and try to get some sleep.

"Anastasia, I need to ask you something before we get to Nicks." Aunt Marie said a few hours later when she turned off the radio. I sat up and looked at her, a sliver of worry resting in my gut.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. She gave me a sad smile, reaching over to take one of my hands in hers.

"You know I don't have much time. Nick doesn't know it's gotten worse or knows we're coming. I'm asking you to be there for him, whatever happens, not matter what I need you to be there. Teach him what you know, not what I taught you. You're his teacher when I go. Protect him." She said to me. I looked at her, squeezing her hand before looking out the front window, pushing back the tears I wanted to shed. Grimm's don't cry, they don't show emotion, and they must be strong of all things. "You're a strong and loving Grimm Anastasia. I've been a Grimm for years; my ways...I don't want my reputation bringing yours down."

"Marie...you taught me everything I know. All the self-defense, the weapon training, and the tuning into my Grimm...powers you were always there. Even when Nick left...you were always there. Having you not there...leaving me to train Nick...I know what I have to do. I promise you, I'll make you proud." I said to her. Aunt Marie smiled at me then returned to driving down the high way. I let go of her hand and looked out the window. As long as I've lived with Aunt Marie I've never felt safer. Sure, she's an old lady and such but she can really kick ass. And she's really not that stone cold, blood thirsty Grimm a lot of Wesen talk about. Aunt Marie is very protective, stubborn, and she really doesn't follow the rules of a true Grimm. We're more like renegade Grimms than anything. She even dated a Wesen before! So have I but...never mind. Let's just say it ended very badly...and I still don't know where the bastard is.

After a few more hours of driving we've arrived in Portland, Oregon. The city is...different than the ones I'm used to living in. There's...just something about it that is...off. We drove around, myself giving Marie directions to Nick's house and soon we arrived in front of his house, strange as it is. No one was parked in the driveway so that meant Nick must've been working. I haven't seen or heard Nick in years so it seems so strange to see him now.

"I'll get inside; you...take your time getting to the front door." I said as I backed away from her with a smirk. Marie frowned and tried to hit me with her cane but I moved out of the way with a laugh. I took out my lock picking tool and easily unlocked the door. Nick needs a better security system.

Once inside I helped Aunt Marie into the living room and got her settled so she's comfortable. Marie said she was going to take a nap so I told her I was going to look around.

"You mean go through your brother's stuff? Put everything back before he comes home." Aunt Marie said and closed her eyes for her nap. I smiled and kissed her on her forehead before looking around downstairs. After finding nothing but tacky furniture and boring stuff I decided to go upstairs. I found a computer/study room, another room, and Nick's bedroom. And what I found was...women's underwear?

"Nick you are in soooo much trouble!" I said and that's when I noticed a few pictures of grown up Nick and a red haired woman with a nice smile. "Nice choice Nicky boy. Love the hair."

"Thank you?" I quickly turned around to see the red haired woman standing behind me. Now that she's standing in front of me I could get a good look at her. She's medium height, a bit skinny for my liking with red hair and green eyes which I thought went quite nice with her face. I just need to talk to her to get my finial opinion. "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" She asked me with a defensive voice.

"Oh, I'm Anastasia, Nick's little baby sister and the sleepy old lady down on your couch is our Aunt. We drove here to come visit little Nicky to talk to him about a few things." I said with a smirk as her eyes got a bit bigger.

"Oh I am so sorry. I didn't know and...Oh gosh I feel really stupid now." She said. I out a laugh and approached her.

"Don't worry, no harm done. Let's go downstairs and chat." I said and started to lead her downstairs. "Do you know when Nick get's home?" I asked her. The red haired woman shook her head.

"I don't think he won't get home until late tonight. He's working on a case as usual. I don't think I properly introduced myself. I'm Juliette Silverton, Nick's girlfriend." She said to me.

"I kind of figured when I saw the pictures upstairs. I highly doubt you're just a very good friend." I said and the both of us gave a laugh. I'm starting to like the girl.

"Yeah, that would be weird." Juliette said with a smile. The two of us talked, I asked how she met my brother and she told me that they met over some weird run-in at some coffee shop in town. Nick had practically ran into her and spilled coffee all over her shirt. He then repeatedly said sorry, bought her a new coffee and asked her out all in under five minutes.

"Sounds like Nick. He always was like that when he was little." Juliette and I turned to see Aunt Marie standing in the doorway.

"Aunt Marie you're up. This is Juliette Silverton, Nick's girlfriend." I said and tilting my eyes towards her in a way that meant something else. Marie nodded and smiled. "We're making pasta and sauce. Wanna help with the salad?" I asked.

"Sure, gives me enough time to tell Juliette stories about Nick before he gets home." Aunt Marie sat down and started to tell stories about Nick. I jumped in a few times and told it from my view, making Juliette laugh even harder. While Aunt Marie told more stories I boiled the pasta and handmade the sauce. Besides my love for the violin and piano, I love to cook though I tend to burn some of my dishes. I can make simple dishes but there are other things that I just can't get. Though I make a mean strawberry short cake. Desserts are my specialty.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Juliette asked me.

"I learned on my own. Aunt Marie here really isn't a cooker." I said and Aunt Marie sent me a glare. I laughed and continued to finish cooking. We chatted some more until we heard the front door open and close.

"Juliette?" I heard Nick call from the front hallway but just barely, my extra hearing helping me to pick him up. I glanced over at Aunt Marie who was chopping up tomatoes and she gave me a nod. Just then Nick was standing in the doorway. "Aunt Marie, when did you get here?" Nick asked and came in the room and took off his jacket.

"Hey, she was here when I got home." Juliette said. I put down my spoon and pounced on Nick, wrapping my arms around his neck and jumping on his back like I used to do when we were younger.

"Hey Nicky boy! Why didn't you tell us of you're pretty lady friend?" I said in a childish voice.

"Sorry Ana, I didn't realize that my relationships involved a brown haired little sister that had a tendency to ask twenty questions." Nick joked and I kissed his cheek before jumping off.

"Sorry for the short notice." Aunt Marie said.

"What, you didn't know they were coming?" Juliette asked as she poured some wine.

"I meant to call. Sometimes I mean to do something and I assume I usually have." Aunt Marie said with a rather sad smile.

"She's right. I have to make appointments for her from now on. No offense Marie." I said taking a sip from my glass.

"Well, how are you doing? Is everything okay?" Nick asked.

"Not as okay as I used to be." Marie answered.

"She was telling me some pretty funny stories about when you were little. You and your sister were little trouble makers." Juliette laughed, whipping clean another glass.

"Dead frog in the microwave?" Nick asked then turned towards me. "You dared me to do it!" I held up my hands in surrender with a grin on my face.

"You dared me to a bunch of stuff when we were little. We're even." I told him.

"Come and give me a hug." Aunt Marie said and stood up slowly with a smile. When they embraced I noticed Marie's lips move. I didn't bother paying attention, dinner is almost ready and the 'talk' would be coming up when dinner is over. When they broke away Nick gave her a look but it didn't last when Juliette announced dinner. Once everyone's plates were filled we sat down and began eating. Nick started to ask why we suddenly came here and Marie told him the truth that her health has taken a turn for the worse. I also told him about my new house that bought since I would be staying in Portland for quite a while.

"Really, where did you move to?" Nick asked me.

"An old house, mid 1900's, that has four bedrooms, 2 baths with everything I could ask for in a house." I told him. "It's even panted my favorite color, a deep red color." I said with a smile. Aunt Marie gave me a look but I could really care less. The color red is a very _dangerous_ color now-a-days.

"Where did you move too?" Juliette asked me.

"7642 Lon Street, on the east side of the river I think? I really haven't looked around Portland all that much so tomorrow I'm going to take Marie and we're going to go find my house, maybe unpack, then see what this city has to offer." I told them.

"I'm off tomorrow, would you like some help unpacking?" Juliette asked.

"Oh I would love the help! Thank you." I said with a real smile. I so like this girl. Once dinner was over I helped Juliette clear and put the dishes in the dish washer, pack away all the leftovers then grabbed my jacket just as Marie and Nick were walking out the door. Family meeting time...

"How bad is it?" Nick asked once we were outside.

"Two months, two weeks, two days. Nobody knows. Ever since I found out I knew I had to come here, to bring your sister here so you can help her after I'm gone." Nick looked at me and my eyes matched his. I nodded sadly. "But there are so many things I have to tell you. That _we_ have to tell you."

"Why didn't you come here sooner?" Nick asked, reaching over to grab my hand for support. Always like Nick, the big softie you could count on.

"We would've but we...got tied up in a few things." I answered.

"We couldn't." Marie said.

"Why?" Marie stopped and turned to face us.

"Just listen to me; there are things you don't know, things about our family." She told him. Here comes the fun part.

"Our family? What about our family, you're my family." Nick said to her.

"Have you been seeing things? Things that you can't explain." Marie finally asked. When Nick didn't answer and looked down at the ground we had our answer. So it's true then. He really is a Grimm... "Oh, I knew it. This is all happening so much faster than I thought it would. When it happened to me, it knocked me on my ass. I couldn't move for a week." Aunt Marie told me about that story.

"What are you talking about?" Nick asked.

"The misfortune of our family is already passing to you just like it happened with your sister." She told him. "I'm so sorry. I know you love Juliette, but you have to end it and never see her again. It's just too dangerous."

"She's right Nick. Falling in love with a human will only make things complicated." I told him.

"What?" Nick doesn't believe us. Aunt Marie glanced over Nick's shoulder and her face went pale. "Oh, my God, he's here."

"Who?" Nick and I turned around and once I saw that car I woged into a daemonfeuer. One of my closest best friends is a daemonfeuer. I saw her and another close friend right before I went on my last case before we moved here. Nick turned back around and his eyes widened. "What the hell? What are you?" I woged back and turned towards Aunt Marie. She took out her secret knife from inside her cane.

"Hulda." She hissed and I woged back just ask Hulda jumped in front of us. Aunt Marie attacked and Hulda attacked back. Hulda pushed Nick back and missed me, going for Aunt Marie. She blocked his coming attack then pushed him off but not before he got her in the arm. I too this time to kick him in the back, hard. He turned around, swinging his scythe at my stomach. When he raised his weapon Nick charged foreword, knocking him to the ground but got up, landing a blow in Nick's face while Marie and I attacked from behind. Marie stabbed him; I grabbed his weapon from his hands before he backhanded Marie to the ground. Nick took a few shots but I kicked him in the back of his knees forcing him to the ground. When Hulda looked up I stood in front of him, his Reaper blade in my hands a smile on my lips.

"You reap what you sow, Hulda." I said and brought down the scythe, cutting his head off. "Never mess with a Grimm." I said and stood over his body for a moment before running over to Aunt Marie. Nick was already there and she was handing him the key I've seen a few times.

"Guard it with your life. They'll be looking for it. Nick, your parents didn't die in a crash. They were killed." She said and passed out. I took out my phone and called 911, telling them a rather large lie to get their asses moving. In a matter of minutes the ambulance, fire department, and the police showed up. Juliette came out and helped us apply pressure to the cut on Aunt Marie's arm while we waited. When the paramedics showed up they took over while Nick talked with his partner named Hank.

"It happened so fast. He came out of nowhere." Nick told Hank as we walked towards where they were loading up Marie. "He had that thing in his hand but Anastasia here managed to get it away from him. He went right for us, Hank so I managed to let off a few before Ana cut his head off." Hank gave me a funny look and I rolled my eyes.

"He didn't die the first two shots so I wanted to make sure the bastard was really dead." I said to him.

"I understand." Hank turned towards Nick. "Take it easy Nick. You two go to the hospital, I'll handle this."

"She said she knew him. That his name was Hulda." Nick turned towards me. "Did you know about this?"

"Only a little. Marie had me stay out of the bulk of it but I knew there was something wrong with him. I think we may have even ran into him on our way here. It wouldn't surprise me though." I answered him truthfully. Marie never allowed me to know what she was actually up to. All she said was and I quote "if there is a time when you need to know, I will tell you."

"I'll run his prints" Hank said then left just as Juliette came over to us.

"Do you want me to come with you two?" She asked us.

"No, we'll be home as soon as we can." He said to her.

"Okay. Love you." And that was my queue to head towards Nick's car, leaving them to do what couples do. Not that I'm some blushing virgin, I'm not; I just know when I need to let the love birds be. Once Nick was done talking we took his car and went to the hospital. While we waited Nick took out his pad for writing and started to draw Hulda.

"You always did like to doodle." I spoke to clear the silence. Nick stopped drawing, looked at it then ripped it out.

"What the hell was that back there? Where did you learn to cut a guy's head off?" Nick asked me. I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Remember when I was little, you went to school and I had to stay home with Aunt Marie? Well, shortly after mom and dad died I started to see the things that you've just started to see. When I told Marie she said that it seemed impossible for me to see so she took us to the park that one day. While you played I pointed out everyone that I could see. Once she believed that could actually see them she began to train me to...be what we are." I said to him.

"And what are we?" Nick asked in a tone that made me feel guilty. Marie made me swore to never tell him even if I wanted to. We had to protect him from things that hunted us.

"Can we talk about this later?" I asked him quietly and nodded my head to where the doctor was coming towards us.

"Mr. and Miss Burkhardt? She's conscious now." The doctor then led us to Aunt Marie's room. As we came closer Aunt Marie's head turned towards us. Nick stood on one side of her bed while I stood on the other side.

"You saw him didn't you?" Marie asked him. "You saw who Hulda really was."

"I don't know what I saw, or how you did that. What's going on? Ana told me she could see them since we started living with you." Nick said.

"We have the ability to see what no one else can see. Your sister can just take it to another level by absorbing their transformations. She can be what they are. When they lose control, they can't hide and we see them for what they really are." Marie explained.

"Look, you need some rest." Nick said to her.

"This is no fairytale. The stories are real. What they wrote about really happened. You are one of the last Grimms. I know it's a lot. And I wish I had more time, but everything's in my trailer. Sweetie, there's so much you still don't know."

"Look, what you said about our parents..." Aunt Marie placed a hand on his cheek.

"You're vulnerable now. You need to be careful. Don't ever lose what I gave you. Stick close to your sister. She is to teach you everything I taught her." Marie then turned towards me.

"Keep him safe. Watch over him." I nodded and squeezed her hand gently.

"I will." I answered her.

"I'm sorry Mr. and Miss Burkhardt, you two can see her tomorrow." The doctor said. We turned towards Aunt Marie and said our good-byes. I kissed her forehead and said good night to her.

As we walked down the hospital hallway Nick pulled out the key and opened it. Looking at it like it's some sort of puzzle. I took Nick's hand and we walked out of the building. Nick asked me if we could stop by the police station to check up on a few things. I agreed and on our way I told him of the private investigations I've done over the past years. He was surprised when I told him of the two giant missing cases I solved over the past years. I got a large paycheck from the families and people that have hired me. Nick said that he was proud of the work I've done and even asked if I would like to help him out on a case that he got this morning.

"What's the details?" I asked him. Nick chuckled.

"A female jogger was killed this morning on her usual jog. She was literally torn apart. We still don't know who killed her but we have a boot print that we found near...what was left of her."

"Where did you find her?" I asked him.

"The girl went jogging in the woods near the college she attends and never came back. We got a call and arrived at the scene. The scene was a mess." He said. The little voice in the back of my head, my Grimm voice, which usually spoke the loudest whenever wesen were involved, was nagging again.

"What was she wearing?" I asked him.

"Why does it matter?" he asked me.

"Because something's that we see are attracted to certain things. Some go after color, smell, gender, clothing; anything that can trigger a response will most likely make then react on their nature." I explained to him. "Now, what was she wearing? Was there anything out of the ordinary about her person?" I asked him, trying to get more information from him.

"Not that I can think of...she was wearing a red sweater her roommate said along with a pair of pink Nikes." Nick told me.

"So we have a young female who wore red on the day of her disappearances...has there been any others?"

"No, not that we know of so far. Why? Who do you think could have done this?" Nick asked me.

"I really don't know Nick. There are countless possibilities and wesen for me to look through. I'll look through the books and see what I can find." I told Nick. After that we feel into a silence once more. This night just keeps getting better and better. Not to mention longer and longer.

~oOo~


	3. Chapter 3

"_And as the Society reminds us, there's a difference between knowledge and technology. Knowledge doesn't fail us." __― __Ally Condie__, __Matched_

~oOo~

Nick's 'office' was what I expected it to be. A computer sitting on a wooden desk piled with papers with two picture frames next to the desk lamp. One of them was of him and Juliette, all smiles and happy, and the other was one of Nick, Aunt Marie, and myself. It was one of those rare family photos that never get out of the photo album. It was a Christmas present that I asked for the year we went to live with Aunt Marie. I wanted a family photo that I could look at and see that, no matter what happened, we're still a family. Those were rough years.

"I remember that day." I spoke taking the picture in my hands, tracing over the happy faces. Aunt Marie had all of her hair then. "We woke up, had pancakes, went shopping, took this picture, went to dinner, and then went home. A perfect day." I said with a smile. Nick took the photo out of my hands and into his to look at it.

"I remember. Didn't we run into that old flame of Marie that day?" Nick asked me.

"They were engaged Nick. I feel kind of somewhat guilty about that." I remembered the look on his face when he saw her. He looked so happy and sad when he saw her but when his eyes came to us something made his face change or woge. My jaw dropped when I saw what or who he actually was. He turned towards Marie with a strange look.

"_Is she?_" He asked Aunt Marie but she shook her head.

"_I really have no answer for you Farley. She's something else let me tell you._" Aunt Marie said to the strange man. He turned towards me and gave me a small smile.

"_He's a parrot!_" I said, almost shouted, and that caused him to laugh.

"_Aunt Marie it's my turn to shop._" Nick said to her. Aunt Marie gave him a look that made him shut up.

"_Farley, can you watch her while I take Nick into his store?_" Aunt Marie asked him and he nodded his hand. Marie smiled sweetly at him then took Nick into the store. The man and I stood there for a moment before I walked over to an empty bench near the store and a bakery stand.

"_I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Farley Kolt and you are?_" He held out his hand and I smiled then took it.

"_I'm Anastasia Burkhardt but everyone calls me Ana._" I said to him.

"_Well Ana, has Aunt Marie explained to you what you see?_" He asked me.

"_Sort of. She showed me some books but some words were hard for me to understand._" I asked to him.

"_Ah, the books. Of course she would show you them. How are you taking this all in?_"

"_It's strange and scary at times but...I think I'm brave enough._" I said to him.

"_Sometimes, bravery isn't needed. It takes a calm mind and a very open heart to see things that people don't usually see or overlook._" He said to me. I nodded and looked over at the bakery stand. One of the cashiers was flirting with the female customers when he woged into this fox thing. My eyes widened as I continued to stare at him. "_You need to control that surprise little bird._" Farley said and I turned my head towards him.

"_What do you mean?_" I asked him.

"_When one of us slip, when we show you what we really are your face shows us that you can see us. Unless we want you to see, humans can't see us unless you're a Grimm. That surprise look on your face tells us that you can see us, that you're a Grimm. And that, little bird, is very dangerous at your age._" He said to me.

"_What do you mean?_" I asked him.

"_When you get older you'll understand._" He said to me and patted my head with a smile. I looked at him for a while, something about him seemed good and yet secretive.

"_You're good, I can tell, but there's something about you I can't tell about?_" I told him rather bluntly.

"_What do you mean little bird?_" He asked me.

"_Aunt Marie says I can read people but sometimes I really can see...never mind. Aunt Marie says I should never talk about it."_ I told him.

"_Why?"_ he asked.

"_She says my big mouth could get me in trouble. I have Aunt Marie's mouth._" I said to him and that caused him to laugh. He smiled a big smile at me just as Aunt Marie returned and gave us a look.

"_What did she say?_" Aunt Marie asked him.

"_That she has your wonderful mouth._" He winked at Aunt Marie and that caused a blush to appear on her face. Nick snickered and I giggled as she swatted him on his arm.

"_As much as we've enjoyed the chat we need to be going. I promised them we'd go out for dinner."_ Aunt Marie said. A saddened expression appeared on Farley's face went Marie told him we would be leaving.

"_Can Farley join us?_" I asked, taking my hand in Farley's.

"_I don't know Ana, Farley must be really busy._" Aunt Marie said.

"_Will you come with us to dinner? Please?_" I pulled my best puppy face and I knew it worked when he sighed and looked at Marie. With that the four of us went to dinner and had a great time. He told us stories about his adventures all over the world and he showed me a magic trick of how to pull a quarter out of my ear. What can I say, I was young and open to different things?

I actually ran into him a few months ago while I was following a cheating husband as a case. I was at a coffee shop when he came in and sat next to me. I didn't recognize him at first because of the gray hair but when I did he asked me how I was doing, same for Nick, but the way he asked about Marie makes me still think that after all that's happened he's still in love with her. I even consider him a weird uncle of sorts. Even if he is a Steinadler.

"Why?" Nick asked, snapping me out of my memories.

"When mom and dad died we had to live with Marie. She left him to take care of us. If not for us, they would be married by now." I said. Nick put the picture back on the desk.

"That was her choice Ana, not ours. It's not your fault." Nick said and looked down at Hulda's Reaper blade. I've seen many of these; some too close for my liking.

"Hey, Nick." Hank came up and placed a hand on Nick's shoulder, making him jump. "You get that translated?"

"Yeah. Ana told me it means Reapers of the Grimms." Nick said.

"That fits your buddy, Hulda." Hank said. "Wait to you hear what I got on him." We got our stuff and followed Hank out. "Hulda was from Boise, Idaho, where he worked as an accountant, but his prints came back as Mr. Lindon from Chicago, wanted for assault, rape and murder. There are also warrants matching those prints in Florida and Alabama."

"He was wanted for assault, rape and murder?" Nick sounded like he couldn't believe it.

"Looks like our buddy gets around." I muttered.

"Don't let the comb-over throw you. This was a bad guy." Hank said. Another officer, a Chinese man spoke as we passed.

"Hey, Nick, Captain wants to see you." He said and continued up the stairs.

"What does he want?" Nick asked Hank.

"Guess you'll find out." Hank said, giving me a slight good-bye before leaving. Nick and I turned around to see Nick's boss walking towards us. When I saw him there was something about him that put me off. There was this feeling of uneasy settling in my stomach and an anger boiling up.

"If you had to shoot somebody, you sure picked the right guy." Nick's boss spoke as he stopped in front of us. "How you doing? You holding up?"

"Yes, sir." Nick answered.

"First shooting is no small thing. You'll be required to see a police psychologist." This is Nick's first shooting? Oh, shit...

"Yes, sir."

"Make sure you do. And get some rest." He patted Nick's shoulder then left. As soon as he was out of ear shot I turned to Nick.

"This is the first time you've ever shot a guy?" I hissed quietly at him. Nick took my arm and we headed out.

"It's not like I go and let off my gun whenever someone does something." Nick said as we got in his car.

"Nick, you're going to be letting off your gun a lot more often. Now that a Reaper is dead and Marie is in the hospital they'll come after us, after you! Hell, they'll even try to finish Marie. Reapers finished what they start." I said to Nick as we drove.

"You're staying with me tonight. Tomorrow Juliette will drive you anywhere you want. She likes you." Nick smiled at the last part.

"I hope so but you have to understand what Marie said to you was to protect you from heart break later. Involvement with humans...doesn't really end well." I said. There's more truth about that statement than I wish it was.

"Sounds like you've learned that first hand." Nick said. He was always able to tell the difference between my moods.

"It's a long story. I'm just warning you though. It's only going to get worse if you don't tell her but if you do, prepare of the...confusion and heart break." I said, pinching the bridge of my nose to push back the tears. That memory is...too painful.

We stayed quiet for the rest of the ride back to Nick's house. When we did Juliette was asleep so Nick told me that I could stay in the guest room for tonight which is just a small bed in his study. I went to Aunt Marie's car and took out my violin case and overnight bag then went back inside. I changed into my pj's then crawled into bed. This is going to be one sleepless night.

~oOo~

_I was back in that forest again only; I'm the same age as I am now. The grass is long, up to my ankles long, and is green, a deep green color that matches the tops of the trees. Everything a deep color, a cool color. I stood in the middle as I once did before. _

"_It's been awhile since you brought me here. Usually you turn into one of your friends. Anything you need Serenity?" When I turned around my 'guardian', as she likes to call herself, was there with her hands clasped in front of her._

"_It's nice to see you too Anastasia." She answered me with a smirk. I shook my head and smiled at her._

"_It's nice to see you too Serenity. It's strange you're not using your cover bodies. What do you need?" I asked her again._

"_Something very important." Serenity waved her hand and a gazebo appeared with a fancy table with tea. This still creep me out but only a little bit. She gestured me to sit and I did. "Training Nick as a Grimm with be difficult." She said as she began to pour the tea into our cups. _

"_I figured. With Aunt Marie in the hospital it leaves me teaching him blind." I said and took the cup from her hands, adding cream and sugar to it then stirring. "I am at a loss but...Nick is an independent person. He will try to do things his way and there will be times where his way won't work. I never wanted this for him."_

"_But you must. They will know of Nick soon and you must protect him. He is just like you when you were starting out." She said to me._

"_Only I had someone with more than my years of experience. I don't know what I'm going to do." I said, taking a cookie from the tray on the table. Angelica chuckled and set her tea down. _

"_Just, follow along for awhile. Doesn't Nick have that case with that hiker?" _

"_What do you know?" I accused her. She likes to give hints which usually lead me or Marie into trouble or onto a case. She's very annoying like that._

"_Nothing but you and Nick will meet a friend along the way. I suggest you watch your hands." She smiled at me and I turned my head to the side in confusion. _

"_The person's a wesen?" I asked her. She gave me a knowing smile and I groaned, just my luck._

"_Why can't these things not involve what I turn into when I touch them?!" I groaned, leaning back in my chair. _

"_Sorry, sweetheart, that's the way life is." Serenity glanced over at the antique clock on the ledge of the gazebo to see that it was already one in the morning. "I think it's time for you to return for some sleep." She placed her cup and half eaten sandwich down and stood up. "You have a lot of work tomorrow." She said. I did the same thing with my tea cup._

"_Yeah. New house and the movers should be there in the morning. Hopefully, my baby is waiting in the driveway for me as well." I smiled as Serenity shook her head._

"_You and that damn car. I will never understand." Serenity pinched the bridge of her nose and I laughed._

"_Hey, don't diss the car. I've had it since I was sixteen and it's my baby." I laughed and then gave Serenity a hug. "It's nice to see you again."_

"_It's nice to see you again too. Every time I see you, you seem to grow bigger and older each time." She said to me, returning the hug._

"_Soon I'll be an old lady next time you see me." I laughed but Serenity gave me a smile that didn't touch the corners of her face. "Night Serenity."_

"_Good night little one." She said and kissed my forehead. I felt myself go numb, falling back into a deep dreamless sleep._

~oOo~

The following morning I woke to the smell of bacon and eggs. I walked downstairs to see Nick eating his breakfast while Juliette is at the stove, making mine. Nick gave me a toast filled smiled with a wave. I waved back, saying good morning to the both of them before sitting down. Juliette came over and placed a plate with two pieces of bacon and two sunny side up eggs on my plate.

"Nick told me you like your eggs like that. Is that okay?" Juliette asked me.

"They're perfect, thank you." I said. I began eating, asking Nick what he has planned today then asking Juliette if she still didn't mind driving me to my new house where everything I moved with me was. Juliette smiled at me and side it was no problem.

"I saw the inside of the trailer last night." Nick said to me which made me stop eating, giving him a weird look.

"You couldn't wait could you?" I asked him.

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to explore." He gave me a smile but I didn't return it. "Juliette came in and brought me out so we could go back to bed."

"Later, when I managed to set some of my things up I'll give you a tour of it. Okay?" I asked him and Nick ruffled my bed head. I shot him a dagger look then finished up my breakfast. Once I was done with that I went upstairs, took a shower, blow dried my hair, dressed in boot cut jeans with a black sleeved shirt with my boots and brown leather crop jacket, and then gathered my things together. I decided to leave Marie's things at Nick's while I get settled. We said good bye to Nick before getting into Juliette's car and driving to my new home.

When we arrived the movers were already unpacking my things into the house, my baby parked in front of the truck. The house is painted a deep fading red color with a white trim on the edges. It's classy and just my style to fit my life.

"It needs a new coat of paint but I'll deal with that later. Let's get unpacking." I said to her. Once inside the house I directed the movers to where the really big pieces needed to go and helped them move things up and down the stairs. Juliette started to unpack the kitchen, cleaning out the cupboards before placing my dishes into them. Everything needed a good sweep, dust, and wash.

I placed all the curtains, sheets, and other things into the washer. Juliette worked on the downstairs while I worked upstairs. I swept, mopped, and dusted everything I could. My four poster metal bed sat in the largest room that over looked my large backyard with it's every own gazebo in the middle. I took off my cleaning gloves and started to unpack my things that were boxed up. I unpacked my sheets, books, typewriter, clothes (a few are dresses that I've used on cases and...other events), my bathroom things, pillows, and everything else.

"Hey, Ana, I'm gonna order pizza if that's fine with you." Juliette yelled up the stairs. I put my sheets on my bed then walked towards the stairs.

"Yeah, sounds perfect. How's the downstairs looking?" I asked her.

**Bong Bong Bong**

"It seems that grandfather clock needs work. I'll go online and see if any good clock-makers or fixers are in the area. It's so pretty not to get fixed." I said to her. When I walked in and took in the house I noticed a really old grandfather clock that wasn't working until I tuned it up and started it but it keeps going off at different times.

"Like I was going to say, I got the kitchen finished and the living room is halfway done. How's your end?" She called back up.

"I swept every room, cleaned the bathrooms so right now I'm working on my bedroom. I love the view." I said.

"Just wait till you see more of Portland. You'll love it." Juliette said then went back to work. I went back into my room and made my bed, hung my shades and curtains, moved my desk and dresser around to a way I liked it, put my clothes away, I set up my music stand and violin holder, then laid out my favorite pine smelling rug that belonged to my dad. He spilled cleaning stuff on it and it smells just like his cologne and his favorite cleaner. I always got along with my dad more than I did with my mom. She always seemed to think Nick was more of the important child. No wonder if Nick's the intended Grimm of our family.

Once the pizza arrived Juliette and I set it on the island in my kitchen and began eating. We talked about the house and how it's coming along and mostly about how she and Nick were getting along. I told her about Nick and me when we were kids, laugh when I recalled a story that put me and Nick in hot water. Let's just say I paid for it the most when the scissors 'accidentally' cut my ponytail off. Nick got his first black eye that day. Juliette was about to speak when my phone rang.

"Yes Nick?" I answered when I looked at the ID.

"_I need you to come to the police station. We may need your help._" Nick told me.

"Give me a few minutes. I'll be there soon." I told him then hung up. "Nick wants me to come in so I'm going to see what I can do." I told Juliette, setting my pizza back in the box.

"What for?" she asked me.

"Have no idea but it must be police business. Can you do me a favor and just place all the empty boxes in the hall near the door so I can put them away later?" I asked her.

"Sure. I'll finish up with down here and lock up behind me. I'll leave the key in the mail box for you." Juliette said and I handed her the key.

"Thanks Juliette. I'll talk to you later." I said and grabbed my car keys. I walked outside headed towards my baby. I pulled off the cover and there she is.

My sleek black 1969 camaro I got when I found her in a scrap yard after I turned eighteen. I rebuilt (and mostly paid for most of the repairs) of what was needed, gave it a new paint job and got an earful from Aunt Marie who said that the car is my problem and I would pay for whatever it needed. I agreed and it's been my baby even since.

I got in my baby and listened to her roar to life. I waved Juliette good-bye and headed towards the police station. Upon arriving Nick was waiting for me inside the main entrance way with a look on his face that told me I was right all along.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"Follow me. My boss is going over the case. He wants to hire you to help us. He found out that you helped the FBI in those two cases a few years ago. They were big on the news and he remembered." Nick said as he led me to the room. "Why didn't you tell me it was you working with the FBI? The news said an unidentified woman was working with them."

"Because those cases were all over the news Nick and it wasn't a human killing those women." I whispered the last part to him.

"You mean it was a..."

"Yes. Aunt Marie made me take the case so I ended up working with the FBI. They weren't really happy with my involvement but we caught the bastard." I said as we entered the conference room where everyone was. And I forgot my gun at home. Great. The lights went off and a picture of a young girl, maybe six or seven years of age appeared on the screen.

"We don't know what we got here. Relative, ransom, or pedophile the clock is ticking. We split into teams, section off the path she would have taken from school." Nick's boss said and the screen changed to a map. "It's a mile and a half from the school to the house. When last seen, she was wearing purple leggings and a red sweatshirt." Nick turned around to look over his shoulder at me and I gave him an I-told-you-so look. "Make sure you have a copy of the photo and the map. You all know your section so let's get out there and find her." Everybody dispersed after that. Nick's boss approached me with a saddened face.

"I'm glad you're here Miss Burkhart. We need all the help we can get on this case." He told me, shaking my hand.

"I'm glad I can be of service. I'll tag along with Nick and Hank with their team. I'm sure we'll find her soon." I told him.

"Hey Captain?" Nick jumped in and Nick's boss turned towards him.

"Yes?"

"When the university student was attacked, she was wearing a red sweatshirt." Nick said.

"The girl who was torn to piece?" Nick's boss questioned.

"Yeah." Hank answered.

"Well, let's hope it's not the same guy." He said then left towards his office. When he was gone I tagged along with Nick and Hank, getting into their car and going with them to search for the girl. The neighborhood the girl disappeared from was quiet and seemed nice enough but surely, there are people living in those who are not who they actually claim to be.

"She's supposed to cross Hunter Lane right there and then go around the park to Hildabrand." Nick said, pointing the route the girl was supposed to take.

"The old man's house is on the other side of the park, right?" Hank asked.

"Right. 4753 Hildabrand Road, directly across from here." Nick read off his sheet. We stopped in front of the park entrance.

"When I was a kid I wouldn't have gone all the way around the park." Hank explained.

"Well, her mother was very specific about the route." Nick said.

"Nick, when you and me were little did we always follow what Aunt Marie told us? No. We always took shortcuts." I pointed to the path.

"Yeah, right. Kids always do what their moms tell them to do. I know I did." Hank nudged my shoulder and we both headed towards the park, leaving Nick there. "Come on, Nick." Nick smiled and caught up with us. We went in, going off the path for a bit before meeting up with two other paths. I hate places like this where the area is too wide and the noises creep up on you.

"We'll take this trail. You take the other." Nick said to Hank and we began walking down it. While we walked Nick seemed to be uneasy. He kept turning around and looking for every noise that occurred. Thank you so much for putting him on edge Marie.

"Nick, I got something here!" We heard Hank call then came running. I saw Hank crouched over something and I feared the worse when I couldn't see what it was. Thankfully, it was only her pack that Hank found and not her body. "Robin Howell."

"She must have been grabbed somewhere in this area." Nick said and turned to look around with me behind him.

"Be careful where you step." Hank called getting out his cell phone. "We got a crime scene in Berkeley Park. Yeah, off Hildabrand." I walked around the area and noticed something that was a clue.

"Nick, Hank I got boot prints over here. Might be the same kind from that jogger." I said and Nick looked over my shoulder. Nick went first and we followed where the boot prints were taking us. We followed them for a few minutes before they took us out of the park and onto another path that lead inward. We stood in front of blue house with a yellow bug in the drive way, a green and red house on either side of it. Nick and I noticed a man coming out of the blue house to check his mail. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties with brown facial hair and a nice toned body. He is wearing a gray sweater and a pair of jeans. When three children passed by them he turned around and woged...

Oh shit he's a Blutbad!

The Blutbad sniffed the children before turning towards us, noticing us watching him, seeing him.

"Hank, I got him!" Nick yelled and ran to catch the Blutbad.

"No, Nick don't!" I yelled after him and the Blutbad woged back to normal, taking off into his house. When Nick didn't answer me and continued to run after him I growled then went after him. Nick you stupid ass what did Marie tell you! When I got to the house Nick was cuffing his arms behind his back.

"What the hell Nick?! What did I tell you?" I shouted at him as Nick brought the Blutbad out.

"It's him, I got him." Nick said. Hank arrived a few seconds later with the police showing up minutes later. When the police arrived I stayed by the car they placed the guy in, worrying about how that hell I'm going to teach Nick restraint with wesen people. He really needs someone to smack him upside his head. I watched as Nick talked with Hank before looking over to the guy in the car I was leaning against. I got up from where I was, looked at the guy, shook my head and went over to Nick.

"What the hell where you thinking?!" I grabbed Nick's arm and pushed him against the side of the house. "You could've gotten killed Nick, Blutbaden are not to be taken lightly! They're one of the most vicious wesen out there!" I hissed at him, looking around to see if anyone was hearing or watching us.

"But it's him Ana, I know it is." Nick said.

"I don't care if he's a national superstar you want an autograph from; you do not do anything, anything, without me that involves wesen!" I shoved at him. "You're a Grimm Nick; it's not something to be taken likely. They will defend themselves Nick; they will try to kill you! Not every wesen follows rules so that's where we come in. You're a cop Nick and that mean you can't cut corners just because you can see them now. You can put everyone around you in danger if you're not careful." I explained to him. Nick sighed and turned towards me.

"I know. I'm sorry it's just there's something about this guy that I need to figure out. If he's such a killer as you said he is why didn't he defend himself?" Nick asked me.

"I don't know Nick but you need to let this go. We still have that little girl to find." I said to him.

"I can't Ana. Like you said, I'm a cop." Then he stormed past me and left me. I growled and woged into a daemonfeuer, blowing smoke out of my nose in anger before shaking my head and returning to normal. My Grimm side came out for a while and she wanted to stay out but I had to watch out for Nick. I'm not a Grimm anymore, Nick is. But why is it so hard for me to let go?

~oOo~

Nick is the most stupid Grimm I've ever seen or heard about in my whole life. Not only did he not drop the Blutbad thing but after we returned to the police station Nick took off. Guess where he is now?

That's right, at the Blutbad's house.

I followed him in my own car and stayed a few cars away from Nick, watching Nick and the house. Nick seemed so angry earlier and that anger will get the better of him. I'm still not sure Nick is even up for the job as Grimm but now that I look at him I can see that if he was truly trained, both mentally and physically, he would make a great Grimm.

The Blutbad guy is also acting...not normal from what I've dealt with. From inside his house, through the front window, I can see him working on something with a pair of glasses on, which happened to make him look and I have to admit, rather handsome. It's always the wesen men I happen to fall for. Humans are just rather...plan.

I've been watching Nick for the past few hours and I'm just about ready to give up and let Nick get the ass kicking of a lifetime when the guy from before walked out of his house and towards the fence that surrounds his house.

"Of course he would do that." I muttered as he went into his back yard to mark his territory. When Nick moved, I got out of my car and sat on the guys' porch, waiting to Nick's ass to get caught. I saw the light go off then the sound of windows breaking. Their voices were muffled but I knew Nick was fine when the both of them came around to the front. Nick looked a little shaken and the guy had a questionable look on his face.

"I thought you were alone?" The Blutbad asked Nick.

"I thought I was too. Ana, what are you doing here?" Nick asked me. I stood up with a grin on my face.

"You honestly think I would let you, of all people, go off on your own? Yeah right." I said. The Blutbad shook his head and we went inside. I never expected the inside to feel so cozy. It was warm and it looked like a normal house except for the cello in the corner and a clock workshop in a room that sat next to the living room. A clock fixer/maker? Really?

"You know I've never seen one of you before." Blutbad guy said and handed Nick a beer and when he asked me if I wanted one I shook my head. "I heard about you guys all my life. Never thought I'd see one up close." He approached Nick, handed him a beer and leaned in close. "A Grimm. What do you know?" He chuckled.

"You know about me?" Nick asked.

"Are you kidding? My folks used to tell me stories about you guys. Scared the hell out of me when I was a kid. How long have you been at this? You seem kind of new." The Blutbad asked.

"He just started. I'm teaching him on how to be Grimm without the whole, 'chopping your head off thing' like our aunt did. He's the older one so I took his place until he actually starting seeing...you guys." I said and gestured towards him.

"Who are you?" Nick asked.

"Wow, he is new at this. What? Someone in your family just died?" The guy asked.

"Our aunt's in a coma." Nick said and my eyes widened. Marie's in a coma?

I smacked Nick's arm hard. "When were you going to tell me about this?!" I asked him, my voice hard.

"I didn't want you to worry." Nick said but that only made me feel anger towards him.

"Guess what, big brother, I'm worrying." I snapped at him.

"Ah, that explains it." Blutbad said and took another swing of his beer.

"She's been sick for a while now. We came to make sure Nick wasn't going to fall off his rocker." I said, giving Blutbad a small smile.

"What's her name?" I smiled because I knew he would freak out at our beloved aunt's name.

"Marie Kesler." Nick said and I laughed at the look Blutbad gave.

"Oh, yeah, I heard of her." He said and turned towards me. "You trained under her?"

"Yes and no. I don't do the killing unless they really needed it. I tended to be the one who calms them down and to help them. Aunt Marie says it's a sign of being weak but I claim it's a sign of honesty and peace. My version, Grimms protect humans and wesen alike from the one who do harm. Those who make bad choices or are forced against their will just need a little guidance, not the death sentence." I explained to him and the Blutbad's eyes seem to soften at my answer. It's the truth really. My Grimm said might be more of the violent type but she only come out when people threaten my family or friends. I can restrain her but only for so much. There have been times where she's actually escaped and tried to kill this...oh I forgot what but it wasn't pretty when I came to.

"Look, I don't want any more trouble, okay?" Blutbad returned to the topic. "I'm not that kind of Blutbad. I don't kill anymore. I haven't in years." He said and it was my turn to give him a questionable look.

"Wait, what did you say you were?" Nick asked and I nearly face palmed.

"Blutbad. Vulgarized by your ancestors as the big bad wolf. What, did you just get the books tonight?" Blutbad asked.

"Sort of, yeah." I answered.

"You know about the books?" Nick asked and I faced palmed. I really need to have a talk with Nick soon.

"Of course I know about the books. We all know about the books. You people started profiling us over 200 years ago. But as you can see I am not that big, and I am done with the bad thing." He said and I smiled.

"Well, how do you..."

"How do I stay good? Through a strict regimen of diet, drugs, and Pilates." Blutbad patted his side. "I'm a reformed Blutbad. A Wieder Blutbad. It's a different church altogether." He explained.

"You're a Wieder Blutbad? Cool! I've never actually met one of you before but I've met some Wieder wesen before but you're my first Blutbad. The others just give into their meat craving and red loving ways. This is so cool!" I said excitedly. The Blutbad was sort of taken back but me cheerfulness but gave me a smile.

"Wait, you guys go to church?" Nick asked.

"Sure. Don't you?" Blutbad said and I chuckled, making that smile a little bit bigger before he walked out of the room, Nick and I following.

"Then what she said is really happening to me. I have to stop it. How do I stop it?" Nick asked.

"'Stop it?' You can't stop it. It's who you are." Blutbad said.

"He's right Nick. You were born with it so you have to accept it." I told Nick.

"So if he's just got into this, he must be seeing some pretty strange things." Blutbad said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I am." Nick answered with a sigh.

"I guess that's why you're here." Blutbad said.

"No, I'm here because of the little girl." Nick told him.

"Still haven't found her yet?" Blutbad asked.

"No, no we haven't." I said to him with a frown. Blutbad went over to the window and that's when I noticed the large hole. Did he jump through it?

"You know where she is." Nick accused. Oh great, not again.

"Of course, I don't know where she is. Did I not just tell you my strict regimen?" Blutbad said and I believed him. Some Wieder wesen get rid of their ancient traditional ways to fit in but even the most experienced ones can slip back into their old ways.

"So, how many of you Blutbads are there?" Nick asked.

"First off, the plural is Blutbaden. And I don't know. We don't socialize much. Bad things happen when we get into a pack, especially when we see red." Blutbad explained to Nick.

"So all those things I've been seeing..."

"They're not things."

"We're not things." The Blutbad and I said at the same time. "Look, I'm a clockmaker for God's sake. I don't go around abducting little girls." He said.

"You are? Really, because I have a question..." I began but Nick cut me off.

"Not now Ana." Nick said and I pouted. "Okay, then tonight, in the backyard, you were marking your territory."

"I wasn't pissing on my fence for kicks." He said and I gave a small laugh.

"Then there are more of you around here." Nick said and the Blutbad gave Nick a silent look that it meant he knows. "Look, you may not know where she is. But you got a pretty good idea who's got her."

"I don't bother the other Blutbaden, they don't bother me." He said as we walked away from his work area. Nick got angry and approached him.

"Nick." I warned but that didn't seem to register.

"Well, guess what, pal, I'm not a Blutbaden, I'm a cop, and if you know who's got her, you had better tell me right now." Nick ordered.

"Please don't threaten me." The Blutbad said and Nick pressed him against the wall.

"I want to know who's got her." He said.

"Nick!" I went forward and got Nick off him, putting myself between the two. "Lesson one, keep a level head."

"But he..."

"No, Nick! Lesson one is to keep a level head at all times, do not let your anger or frustration get the better of you. Fight with everyone you come across that's wesen will get you no where! All that it will get you is an ass kicking and a dead end. Now, calm down and ask Mr. ..." I turned towards the Blutbad. "I'm sorry, I don't know you name."

"Monroe. Just Monroe." He said.

"Alright Monroe." I said and turned back towards Nick. "Ask Monroe nicely to help us and he might help us." Nick was quiet for a moment before a frown appeared on his face.

"Will you please help us Monroe?" He asked and I turned towards Monroe who was sporting a smile.

"Yes. We'll take my car." Monroe said, grabbed his keys and jacket, and we went outside.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier. My name is Anastasia Burkhart. My older brother Nick is the impatient person tapping his foot over there. Sorry about this morning." I said as we walked out the door. "It's nice to meet you Monroe."

"It's nice to meet you too. I never met a Grimm or heard of one with a personality like yours. I thought there was only one Grimm in each family?" Monroe stated.

"There is but it seems I make an exception. I started to see wesen at an early age so I was trained earlier. Don't worry; I'm not the head chopping kind of Grimm." I said and walked towards his car.

"What kind of Grimm are you then?" He said with a smirk and I returned it.

"A stab you in the heart kind." The face on Monroe made me laugh as I got in the back seat. Moving to Portland might be fun after all. We'll see...

~oOo~


	4. Chapter 4

"_A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it's in hot water." __― __Eleanor Roosevelt_

~oOo~

Monroe wanted to kill us. Or at least that's what he wants us to think with his driving...

With his head out the window!

"I really think I should drive." Nick said to Monroe who still had his head hanging out of the window. Talk about domesticated wolf much.

"I second what Nick said." I said from the cramped back seat. His bug is only meant for two people, not three.

"No, I'm good." Monroe said and I rolled my eyes. He's gonna kill his before we even get there.

"If this is the same Blutbad that killed the woman in the woods..." Nick started.

"Well, assuming he fed yesterday, he'll be good for a week, maybe ten days, tops. He'll just use the time to fatten her up." Monroe explained to Nick.

"Eww." I said with a frown.

"Oh!" Monroe exclaimed. "I got a hit. We're close." He said and stuck his head back inside.

"Did you really smell him?" Nick asked.

"Dude, you have no idea." Monroe said with an almost disgusted look.

"Their noses, weather in woge form or not, is one of the most powerful things about a Blutbad...besides their temper." I said the last part with a smirk, knowing that Monroe would look through his mirror to look at me.

"I can easy throw you out of here if I wanted to." He said with narrowed eyes.

"Sorry honey, I don't get physical until we played twenty questions." My smile grew when a pink color came over Monroe's cheeks. Nick gave me a not-now-look and I rolled my eyes. Jesting is one of the things that help me keep in-check Miss Grimm that is begging to just jump out of this bug, touch Monroe and get his Blutbad powers, then go kick whoever took the little girl ass to Kingdom come and back again. In a few minutes Monroe stopped us at bridge that led us to a dead end.

"Okay, this is as far as we drive." Monroe said and started to get out. Once Nick was out he helped me out and I almost tripped due to the seat belt wrapping itself around my ankle as I was getting out.

"That's not funny." I said to Monroe who was holding back a laugh.

"I didn't say anything." He said and I almost growled but Nick elbowed me in the ribs.

"He's over there?" Nick asked Monroe who turned to face the side of the bridge.

"Oh, he's real close." Monroe took out a plastic bag that had wolfsbane in it. I remember Aunt Marie growing it in her garden back at her house. This reminds me that I need to grow my own.

"What's that?" Nick asked as Monroe patted some around his neck, handing some to me.

"Wolfsbane. So we won't scent us." Monroe explained.

"You're kidding me, right?" Nick asked as I handed him some.

"Not if you want to stay alive." Monroe said with a serious face.

"He's right Nick. If he smells us he'll kill the girl before me even get close. Or worse, he'll take her and disappear forever. She's as good as gone if he smells you." I said as I finished putting some on. Nick looked at it, put some on then went to walk over the rest of the bridge.

"What are you doing?" Monroe asked and I face palmed.

"You said he was over there." Nick said pointing down the road.

"Why don't you just call him, tell him you're coming? This way." Monroe said and walked to the other side, then climbed down to the river.

"Remind me to go over everything in the books when this is all over. Anything wesen related from now on I will be taking charge of. I don't want you dying on me Nick." I said and followed Monroe. Nick followed us but when he got in the river he shot me a look.

"Isn't this what the bridge is for?" he asked.

"Everybody and everything has a scent. Why do you think people jump in rivers to avoid bloodhounds? To lose scent, to lose trace, to lose themselves." I answered him and we continued on into the woods. As we neared Monroe started to...woge out actually. His eyes were turning red and his teeth started to change but he managed to shake it off, fighting the urge to woge.

"Sorry." He said with a slight smile in Nick's direction who looked frightened.

"Do I need something like silver bullets?" Nick said and both Monroe and I gave him a weird look.

"What are you, an idiot?" Monroe asked him and I shook my head. Nick is going to be harder to train than I thought.

"We're not in that world Nick. Things are more realistic here." I said and continued on.

"That's his place." Monroe said, twitching a bit. Nick and I looked ahead to see a cabin, very secluded and it was the perfect place for a Blutbad to take residence in. I looked back at Monroe who woged right in front of us as we neared closer.

"What's happening?" Nick asked, going for his gun but I placed a hand on his arm.

"I can't guarantee what'll happen if I go any closer. It's too dangerous. I might be on your side. I might be on his side. I might even go after the girl." Monroe said and I placed a hand on his shoulder, not actual contact through the layers of clothing so I couldn't woge into a Blutbad.

"You won't; your stronger than that." I said and looked at him. "If you truly feel you can't stand anymore than go. We'll take it from here." I said to him. Monroe looked at me like I was off my rocker but then it dawned on him what I said before. I'm not a normal Grimm.

"I'm sorry. But there's nothing more I can do." Monroe said and turned to leave. He got a few inches when I called back to him. He turned around as I stuck my hand out to him.

"If we don't meet again, I'm glad your my first wieder Blutbad." I said and he looked at me strange before taking my hand. Then I woged into a female Blutbad which scared the living crap out of Monroe.

"What the? How can you...?" Monroe's face made me smile.

"I'll explain if we ever meet again. Maybe we will?" I turned around and went back to Nick's side.

"What do we do now?" I asked Nick, woging back to normal. "What?" Nick kept staring at me.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." He said taking out his phone.

"Don't remind me." I said. Nick turned around and we went back to the bridge to call Hank.

"I found her." Was all he said to get Hank up and moving at this hour. We told him where we are and from there we waited. "And while we're waiting, explain what the hell is happening to you!" I looked at Nick and sighed.

"It's not something to...explain really since I don't know as much as anybody. This isn't actually a common trait I have." I said to him.

"You mean there isn't more people like...that?" Nick asked me and I shook my head.

"Not that I know of. I may be the only one. You see, what I can do is copy a wesen, those beings you've been seeing. It's like I can become them with all my Grimm abilities." I said to him.

"Grimm abilities?"

"We Grimms are masters at figuring things out. That's why the police force is such an easy thing for us. We're also faster and more...I wouldn't say we have super powers or anything we're just...above average. Anyway, I simply turn into wesen who I touch and since I shook hands with Monroe who's a Blutbad I turned into a Blutbad. The thing you saw before is one of my high school friends I still talk to. She's a daemonfeuer. I'll give you the whole lesson once we're done with this. Let's hope your brain doesn't explode." I smiled then turned my head just as Hank was pulling up to meet us.

"Where is he?" Hank asked as soon as he got out of the car. We walked to the other side of the car and Nick pointed down the river.

"He's in a house on the other side of this stream. But you have to put some of this on first." Nick said and started to rub Wolfsbane on Hank. Hank shot me a look and I just shrugged.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hank asked him.

"So he doesn't smell us." Nick said and all I could do was keep my mouth shut.

"We're not hunting deer." Hank said. "Where's backup?"

"You're the only one I called." Nick said. Better Nick learn from this than to help him.

"What?"

"I already cried wolf once. Do you think they're going to believe me?" Hank gave Nick a look I knew very well. "Come on." Nick walked back the other way, retracing his steps we took before only this time, Hank was the one who spoke up about walking through the river.

"How'd you find this place?" Hank asked us.

"Uh, the boots." Keep going Nick. "I couldn't sleep, I started looking at addresses. This is one of them." Liar...

"What's his name?" Hank asked.

"Who?" Mental slap for Nick.

"The guy we're looking for." Just gotta keep my mouth shut and allow Nick to figure this one out...

"Uh, I forgot." Nick said as I reached the other side while Hank was having some trouble.

"Oh. You do know there's a bridge, right?" I laughed. An hour ago Nick said the same thing and look at him now. Taking the lead like the Grimm he should but he's needs a bit more...experience before coming up to my level. Once Hank was across we traced our steps back to the same tree we hid behind from before. "You better be right this time, buddy. You saw his boot prints, right?"

"Yeah. Over by the house." Nick answered.

"Exact match?"

"From what I could tell, yeah."

"You run his plates?"

"I'm still waiting." Nick stopped and turned to face Hank. "What's the matter? Do you not trust me?"

Hank was silent for a moment before answering. "Okay. Let's do this." I smiled and patted Hank on his shoulder before following Nick out of the tree line.

"If he woges do not act surprised, they expect some type of reaction such as ourselves woging or none if we're human. That's how they tell from human to Grimm. We can see them; humans can't unless the wesen show themselves. It's like, not believing in something that isn't real until you've actually seen it. So act calm about this." I whispered to Nick. He nodded his head and used the knocker on the door. The door opened and there the Blutbad stood all prim and proper like a human. He reeked of dog smell with a human scent on him.

"Good evening. Can I help you?" The Blutbad asked with a smile that made made me wanna gag. Hank and Nick looked down at his shoes and I almost rolled my eyes. _Of course he wouldn't wear his boots if he knew they would be looking for them. He would've gotten rid of them by now you idiots!_

"Sorry to disturb you, sir. I'm Detective Griffin. This is Detective Burkhardt and Anastasia Burkhardt who's a private detective who's working with us. Do you have a few minutes?" Hank said in a polite way.

"Of course. Would you like to come in?" The Blutbad asked and I had to hold in a growl from escaping.

"That would be great." Hank said but Nick and I weren't fooled. He was acting way off for his own good. Once inside I couldn't help but feel off. I sniffed the air and only very slightly there was another scent that didn't belong to the Blutbad but it's very faint.

"You can sit in here." The Blutbad said once we were in his living room. Hank picked up one of the throw pillows and commented that it looked nice. "I did the needlepoint myself. Not that I tell everyone." He smiled a sickly sweet creepy smile and Hank awkwardly chuckled while Nick and I looked at the Blutbad. Then there was a ding of a timer. "Oh, pot pie's done. Just give me a moment. And then we can talk, okay?" He said then left the room.

"Are you kidding me?" Hank asked.

"Hank, I really believe this is the right guy." Nick said.

"I agree. He's off, really off." I said and looked around the room. I opened all my senses for anything I could pick up. Hank sighed and went into the kitchen where the Blutbad was with Nick behind him. I stayed in the living room. The scent was mainly in this room, and there was a faint...thumping sound almost like a heartbeat but it seemed...out of place somehow.

"Ana, I'm taking a look around." Nick said.

"You won't find them. He's burned them already." I said quietly.

"How do you know?" Nick asked.

"Burnt leather, woven thread, and the smell of metal cooling off are coming from the fire place. Don't bother but try and find some muddy pants since he ditched the backpack in the woods." I said to Nick and he nodded.

"Does he have the girl?" Nick asked.

"Don't know yet. Give me a minute." I said and looked around. While Nick and Hank talking in his bedroom I noticed that the Blutbad started to hum a song that seemed out of place. The Blutbad and I were having a staring contest when I saw Hank leave followed by Nick. "Anything else?" The Blutbad said Nick turned around. I walked over to him and turned to look back at the Blutbad.

"No. Thanks for your time. We'll see ourselves out." Hank said. Once Hank left I took Nick's hand and led him outside.

"Hank, I'm sorry. I really thought this time..."

"Wait," Hank stopped Nick and turned around. "the song."

"What song?" I asked.

"He was humming the same song. The one on the dead girl's iPod." Hank said.

"If that's true then..." The three of them turned around and saw the Blutbad look through his window, turning off all the cabin's lights. "Then he was there when she was killed." The three of them drew their guns, kicked open the door and shone their flash lights inside. Slowly they made their way around the house, looking slowly just in case the Blutbad jumped them. I was in the living room with Hank when the floor creaked, the Blutbad yelled and charged at me with anger, knocking me against the wall with clay figurines. Hank jumped into action but was shoved away as well, followed by Nick. I cursed, got to her feet and ran after the Blutbad with Hank.

"Hold it!" Hank yelled but he didn't stop. The woged Blutbad continued running, forcing Hank and I to open fire. Each fired two shots, bringing the bastard down. I watched as he turned back to normal, his breathing labored as he died slowly. Nick came over and turned him around to face the two of them.

"Where is she? Where is she?" Nick demanded.

"Grimms." And he died. I didn't waste my time running back into the house and following the rapid heartbeat that suddenly grew louder. I looked all around, sniffing for the scent I found before, only stopping when Nick and Hank came back into the house.

"She's here, somewhere but where...I don't know." I said.

"Robin!" Nick called.

"Robin!" Hank called.

"Sweetheart if you can hear us try and make a sound!" I called. They called over and over until they met back up in the living room.

"She's not here. We're going to have to call it in. I'll find the breaker." Hank said and walked outside.

"She's here Nick. We can't stop looking!" I said. Nick sighed then turned his eyes to the floor where the shattered vase lay next to the destroyed coffee table.

There was a dripping sound. There was a basement...

"Move the rug." I said and Nick did it. There, under the rug, was a trap door. I smiled, opened the door and ran down the steps.

"Nick I got her!" I called up. All of a sudden I started to get lightheaded and dizzy. I leaned herself against the wall for a moment to clear my head before going deeper into the basement. I ran over to Robin and untied her restraints and freed her some the mouth gag. "Shhh, it's okay sweetie, we're here to save you. You're safe now. No one is gonna hurt you again" I said. Little tears came her eyes as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I don't know how you two did it but you guys did." Hank said from behind us. I picked up the little girl and carried her outside. Thankfully, Hank covered the Blutbad's body so Robin wouldn't see him.

"It's okay now. We're going to take you home." I said to her. Hank went and pulled his car around while we waited for the rest of the police to show up. When they did I told Nick I was going to take the little girl back to the police station to return her to her mom while they cleaned up. As I drove her back I stopped somewhere so she could get something to eat and she could relax, now that she was safe. After she ate we arrived back at the station where she ran into her mom's open arms.

"Thank you. Thank you so much!" Her mom said to me.

"It was my pleasure to help the Portland police in their search for Robin." I said to the mother then turned to face Robin."And you, you little munchkin, listen to your mom and don't give her any grief."

"I won't. Thank you Anastasia." She said.

"You're welcome little one." I said and watch them leave.

"Heading home?" I turned around to see Nick standing behind me.

"Yeah, I'm actually going to be spending the night in my own house tonight. I'm so tired." I said and Nick laughed.

"Go home, get some sleep. We have one last thing to do in the morning." Nick said and I sighed.

"Yeah, yeah I know. Maybe I can actually ask him the question I wanted ask him before someone rudely interrupted me!" I said and Nick wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

"Hey, we had a case to do. Night sis, I'll tell Aunt Marie you said hi for her." Nick said to me.

"I'll visit her tomorrow when things settle down. Night Nick." I said and followed him out until we went our separate ways into our own vehicles.

Once I pulled into the driveway of my own home I almost cried with relief. I noticed that moving truck was gone so that meant that Juliette finished what needed to be done. Note to self: get Juliette something nice for a thank you. I made sure all the doors were locked then went inside. Everything down stairs, minus the boxes stacked up near the door, looked really nicely done. The living room, the dining room, the kitchen, and even the small study looked awesome! I hung up my coat and took off my boots then walked into the kitchen to see a new pizza, cold of course, sitting next to my microwave.

"Thank you Juliette! Thank you!" I said and popped a piece in the microwave then wrapped the others. While I was waiting I went into the jointing study and opened the cardboard box that said in big letters **DO NOT TOUCH!** I took out my pocketknife and cut the tape. Inside is everything I've collected since I was trained as Grimm. Notebooks, folders, pictures, diagrams, everything that a Grimm collects over the years are in this one box. It's not much but there'll be more in due time. I opened a secret compartment in the desk and hid my notebooks away then hid everything else around the room until the microwave dinged. I ate my pizza in silence then went around and made sure everything was locked before going upstairs. Three rooms still needed to be finished along with my bathroom and my room was halfway done but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I changed into a pair of sweats and a long sleeved shirt then got into bed. I set my phone alarm for six in the morning then closed my eyes. Tomorrow is going to be an even longer day.

~oOo~

"What happened exactly? Can you tell me what this wesen looked like?" I asked as I straightened up the guest bedroom that sat next to mine. After I woke up there was a message on my phone saying that I should call Nick. I ate some cereal bars I brought with me on the trip then called Nick. Last night, when he visited Aunt Marie, a nurse or a doctor came into the room and went to stick some green liquid into Aunt Marie's IV line when Nick stopped her but ended up with some in his arm, knocking him out.

"_It's just as I explained it to you. And when she left her face was ugly, she had white hair with parts of her face attached to her jaw and...I passed out._" Nick said over the phone. I thought for a moment before cursing. "_What?_"

"I might know what attacked Aunt Marie and you but not who exactly." I said to him.

"_Then what attacked us?_" Nick asked.

"A hexenbiest. They're a witch like wesen with bad tempers that match their ugliness. They're made be beautiful on the outside but they're really ugly when they woge. They're also very strong and powerful when given the chance." I said to Nick. When he didn't replay I sighed. "I'll give you a Grimm lesson next time you're off. Are we going over Monroe's house today?"

"_Yeah, meet me at his house in a half hour?_" Nick asked me.

"Yeah, see you then." I said and hung up. Once I finished the guest room I walked into the other empty room, next door to mine and looked inside. One very large window over looked the back yard which had a gazebo in the middle of it. Whoever owned this house before must be a romance fan, which practically screams bend-on-one-knee-and-ask-me-to-marry-you type of place. Then I idea popped in my head and I knew exactly what I was going to do to this room.

My art room.

Didn't see that coming did you? Besides playing the violin I also paint and do pottery. Hey, I get bored when I'm not working a case or chasing down rouge wesen. How else am I supposed to pay the bills besides that? I also sell little figures, of wesen actually, and people buy them up whenever there's a craft show or something like that. I find it fun and the normal human people never catch on to what I'm actually selling them. They just think they're my version of fairy tale creatures. However, the wesen, on the other hand, find it strange. Usually what I do is, is that I take the form of my other best friend whose a Kaninchenbau which means Rabbit Hole in German. Basically, they're a type of rabbit wesen. I take her form and sell my stuff to other wesen so they're not afraid to a Grimm standing behind the stand. But now, I have a Blutbad behind the stand now. Great, I'll have to play the dumb human. Or better yet, the dumb human assistant. Brilliant!

I grabbed my keys, leather jacket, and backpack then walked out my door, locking it up and getting in my car. The drive to Monroe's house turned out to be about a ten-fifteen minute drive from my house. Nick was already waiting for me when I pulled up in front.

"Ready?" Nick asked me.

"Ready when you are." I said and we both walked up the stone path where Nick used the knocker. A minute later Monroe answered the door.

"Huh! Didn't expect to see you two again, at least not in one piece, for him of course." Monroe nodded towards Nick and I held in a giggle but Nick shot me a look.

"We just wanted to say thanks." Nick said.

"He knew I helped you, didn't he?" Monroe asked.

"I don't know." Nick answered.

"Well, at least he's dead. 'Cause otherwise he'd be looking for me." Monroe said.

"And that's where I'd step in." Monroe gave me a funny look. "Remember what I said? I said I protect humans and wesen alike from those who want to do them harm or are trying to correct their ways. I help rather than kill; it's really not in my nature." I explained to him and Monroe's eyes kept on mine until he turned back towards Nick.

"He was my cousin." I felt rather guilty now and I wanted to smack myself.

"I'm sorry, we didn't know or I would have tried..."

"To help a murderer escape?" Nick asked me and I shot him a look.

"I would have tried to make him turn himself in and from there help him work out his urge. Seeing red is difficult but that doesn't mean you go around and kill people just because of the color. I have helped wesen with their urges and there is always a way around them. It's not easy but with time they'll be able to look at the thing that bothers them the most without flinching. I've seen it, I've done it, and it's worked countless time no matter how much Aunt Marie doesn't like my methods." I answered the both of them. They were both quiet from my outrage before Nick turned to face Monroe again.

"I may need your help again." Nick said.

"And what am I, chopped liver?" Nick shot me a look and I shut up.

"We'll see." Monroe said. Nick nodded and started to turn around while Monroe closed the door but I whispered his name loud enough for him to hear but not Nick. "Yeah?"

"The question I was going to ask before when I found out you were a clock maker was if you know anything on really old grandfather clocks. I have one at the house I just moved into by the people you used to live there, sad really, it's a beautiful thing but it keeps going off at odd times and this morning it's stopped working. I was wondering if you could help me." I said to him and he gave me a strange look.

"You're a Grimm."

"And you're a Blutbad. I think we're at even odds and if I wanted to kill you I would have done so but then again I'm not the killing Grimm. Too messy and blood is such a pain in the ass to get out of my clothes." I laughed at his face then shook my head. "I also was going to head to the farmers market they have in town and was wondering if you wanted to come along with me before we have a look at that clock if you agree that is." I said and gave him a smile. Monroe was quiet for a while before he grabbed his jacket, shutting the door behind him, locking it,

"We'll take your car." Monroe said and I almost hugged the Blutbad. I'm gonna have a friend Portland whose a Blutbad! Let's just hope I don't scare him away.

~oOo~


	5. Chapter 5

"_Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." ― Marilyn Monroe_

~oOo~

"So...you're not this blood thirsty killer like your aunt?" I had to laugh. Five minutes into driving to the farmers market was quiet until Monroe spoke up. I thought we had gone through this before.

"I thought we went through this." I said and glanced over at him. When he saw my car he gave me a questionable look to which I replied, "Sometimes I need to catch the runaways." This is true since some of the baddies don't want to play nice.

"I just can't wrap my mind around it. All I can picture is this old lady teaching this crazy woman how to be blood thirsty and chopping wesen's heads off." I laughed again; thinking of me as this dark lady with scars and a shotgun. (I actually own one...HA!)

"Yeah, I got that a lot when I was little. Thankfully, when the bullies found out they left me alone real fast." I said, turning into the parking lot.

"You went to school with wesen children?"

"Well yeah. When Nick and I moved in with our aunt she kept me at home for a while once she knew I could see wesen so I could be ready for what was out there. Once she thought I was ready I went to the same school Nick was going and it turned out to be...quite eventful." I chuckled as I grabbed two grocery bags from the back seat. "Coffee?"

"Thanks." We headed to the small coffee shop on the corner of the blocked off street and bought coffee which Monroe volunteered to pay for. After we got our coffee, Monroe argued on how he could make better coffee and I took him up on that offer. He seemed surprised then gave me a smirk.

"Once you taste mine you won't go back to anything else." He said as we approached the farmers market. "So...how did it go on your first day of school?" Monroe asked.

"My teacher was an Eisbiber, I had an arrange of wesen students along with human but the scariest one, my bully for a few years, was a Dickfellig." I said as we went to one of the stalls selling veggies.

"Ouch. And they never knew you were a Grimm in training?" Monroe asked me.

"Not until three years later when he turned his attention on a friend of mine, a Murcielago. At that time, Aunt Marie was teaching me self-defense and how to fight back so I decided to step up and _step in_ to my Grimm role."

"You started that early?"

"Not really but no one messes with my friends or family. Sadly, that's when they found out who I really was. I lost a lot of friends that day."

"How old where you?"

"10. I scared most of the wesen kids but the ones I knew the most stayed friends with me. They were scared of course but only of my aunt...and maybe a little bit of me too." I spoke, paying for some carrots, lettuce, and broccoli.

"What happened?"

"I got angry; then I touched him and I turned into what he was before kicking his ass. Once he was on the ground everyone wouldn't stop looking at me. Grimms don't have this ability and so far I'm the only one that can turn into one of you guys. It's tough some days and sometimes it is painful but I live through it." I said to him as we moved onto the next stall.

"You still haven't told me what happened." I glanced over at Monroe who was giving me this look and I sighed.

"The kids who were bullying my friends...and me for years...ended up in the hospital with a few broken bones." I said.

"Did they deserve it?" I looked up at Monroe who had this look of sternness, a look that didn't like when other wesen pushed others around for their entrainment. I smiled slightly.

"They did. Even looking back on it now I can say that my Grimm side helped me out, on more than one occasion."

"So your aunt is fine with you not chopping off wesen heads like she does?"

"She wasn't even happy when she found out I had wesen friends. She has nothing against them she just...she was brought up a different way than I did. I was exposed to a more diverse school than she did." I answered his question.

"What about you changing into a wesen then? What is that all about?" He asked me.

"Well, that's a lot more complicated to explain fully so why don't we leave that for another time?" I asked him with a small smile.

"Fair enough. So which is better?"

"What is better?" I eyed his and a wolfish grin spread on his face.

"Humans or wesen? I'm sure you dated a little bit of both in your younger years as a wesen helping and slaying Grimm." I was quiet for a few minutes, my face radiating heat before Monroe poked me.

"Wesen." I muttered under my breath, looking at the next stall we moved on to.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you." I looked up and smacked Monroe lightly on the arm.

"You heard me you ass! Enough about me and telling my life story, what about you? You're a Blutbad who's a clock maker/fixer. What's with that?" I asked Monroe who rubbed the back of his neck, looking away.

"My younger years were hectic and when something bad happened I swore off all that stuff. I went vegan, no meat, no nothing and started to find different outlets to keep my wolf side in check."

"That's explains the meds and the Pilates. So are you good with clocks?" I asked him.

"Well, that all depends on the clock. Each clock requires different needs and special care." I smiled evilly.

"Have you given any clocks special _care_ lately?" Monroe groaned and I laughed.

"I walked right into that one, I so walked right into that one." I continued to laugh as Monroe's face lit up.

We continued to talk even after I finished getting what I needed from the market, putting my bags in the back seat, and driving to my house so Monroe could look at my clock. I pointed to where the clock was while I went into the kitchen to unpack my food. From the kitchen I could hear Monroe mutter something about my clock followed by a curse and a crash.

"I have good news and bad news." Monroe said as he stepped into the kitchen. I turned and faced him, putting away the last of the food.

"And they are?"

"Good news, I can fix what's wrong with your beautiful grandfather clock. The bad news is that I might have added one more problem to it but I will fix that with no cost." Monroe explained.

"What's wrong with it before you broke something?"

"A lot of the gears have rusted and it needs a new key for winding. What I broke was one of the fragile glass pieces inside so I'll replace that. Is there anything else you need me to look at?" Monroe asked and for once I took in and noticed the pair of glasses that were still sitting on his face. Sure they made him look older but they made him look...nerdy sexy that I always...

I shook those thoughts away, pinching the bridge of my nose. I really didn't need these thoughts right now.

"Are you alright?" Monroe asked with concern. I looked up at him and smiled with a shaky smile.

"Yeah, I'm alright, slight headache from recent events that are now catching up with me. How much will I owe you?" I asked.

"I don't have exactly the number in my head but as soon as I have the total can I call you before I order the parts I need?" Monroe asked. I agreed and gave him my number.

"You know, I highly expected you to refuse coming with me. Why did you?" I asked him.

"You know, I don't really know. Something just told me that, even though you're a Grimm, there's something different about you. It's this strange feeling that I can't shake." He said, looking at me with a smile in his eyes.

"Same here Monroe, same here." This was certainly going to be interesting if we actually become friends.

~oOo~

"So what exactly am I here for?" I asked Nick as soon as I spotted him in the police station.

"I need you to come with me and Hank as we go check out a missing person's case. There's something about it that I thought you might know about." Nick told me, leading me back to his work area.

"What's the case?"

"A girl and her boyfriend broke into a house. They thought they heard something so they bolt, going out the window. She goes out first but when her boyfriend tries to leave he's pulled by in by something. She thinks her boyfriend might have been kidnapped or hurt." Nick pointed to the handcuffed blonde in a chair taking to Hank.

"You think its wesen related?" I asked him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Maybe, you're the Grimm master of all this."

"Just because you think it may be wesen related doesn't mean it is." I told Nick.

"I know it's just...I have this feeling..." I looked Nick in the eyes and saw that he truly believes that this case might be wesen related. I sighed.

"All right, I'll tag along and see what's going on. We're taking your car?" I asked.

"Hanks. Come meet the girlfriend." Nick said and I followed him to where Hank was.

"Hey Hank." I said and Hank turned around with a smile.

"Ah, little miss detective, welcome back. How've you been?" Hank asked giving me a pat on the back.

"Pretty good. Portland is beautiful by the way, went to the farmers market yesterday morning." I returned the smile before moving onto the girl friend. "Is this the girlfriend?"

"Anastasia, this is Gilda Darner. Miss Darner, this is my sister Anastasia Burkhardt. She's a private detective who now works for the police so to speak. She's going to be looking in on your missing boyfriend." Nick said.

"Can you tell us where your boyfriend disappeared?" I asked her.

"I can lead you from where I was picked up. I don't exactly know the address." She said and sniffed her running nose.

"All right then. Let's go." Nick said and we all go in Hanks car and drove to where she was picked up. From there she led us down a long highway before turning off onto a road that led further into the woods where a secluded, expensive wooden house with a bear totem pole in the front year with beautiful flowers.

"This is the house. This is where it happened." Gilda said, looking out the front window.

"Doesn't look like an empty abandoned house that I was picturing." I muttered in Nick's ear.

"Somebody got here before us." Hank said and parked the car behind some cop cars.

"Stay in the car." Nick said to Gilda then the three of us got out. As soon as we did Sergeant Wu approached us.

"What are you guys doing here? I haven't even called it in yet." He said to us.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Breaking and entering. Mr. and Mrs. Rabe got back from Seattle a couple of hours ago, found their house broken into. Somebody raided the fridge, hit the liquor cabinet, tried on some clothes and test drove a couple of beds." Wu said and led us into the back yard.

"Any signs of violence?" Hank asked.

"No. No blood. No body parts. Only stains we've come up with are wine and whoopee." Wu explained. "Who's her missing boy toy?"

"Say's his name's Rocky." Nick answered.

"Still trying to figure out how much of her story is true." Hank said as Wu showed us a broken window that could be the access point where the point of entry was.

"Well, she's copping to the B and E, so some of it is." Nick said.

"Where are the owners?" Hank asked.

"Upstairs." Wu opened the door and we went inside. The inside of the house was furnished comfortably but very expensively. Everything inside screamed money. We followed Wu upstairs where the owners were.

"Somebody was sleeping in our bed." Mrs. Rabe commented bitterly.

"Sleep had nothing to do with what they were doing in our bed." Mr. Rabe commented as well. Haven't they heard of an alarm system?

"You have an alarm system?" Hank must've read my mind.

"Well, we've been a little lax in using it lately." Moron...

"We're pretty remote out here." Another moron... "I mean we've never had a problem before."

"Doesn't mean something like this could happen. I don't mean to be rude Mr. and Mrs. Rabe but not activating your security system is foolish. Many people wish they could have a security system in their homes besides flimsy locks that can be broken." I said to the owners. I really didn't mean to be rude but do you know how many cases I get when people have their homes broken into? Their life, their identity, their safety is all gone. Some people even become paranoid after a thing like this happens.

"No, you're right. We should've armed it." Mr. Rabe said to me. Wu said something to Nick then we all moved into the living room.

"Nothing was stolen?" Nick asked, checking out a bottle of wine.

"I don't know yet. Nothing obvious." Mr. Rabe said, answering Nick's question.

"You have quite a collection." I heard Hank say and turned around to see him looking at some artifacts behind a glass case. "Is that a Fijian war club?"

"Yes, actually it is." Mrs. Rabe said as Hank moved on to another glass case.

"And a New Guinea tribal fork. This is some valuable stuff."

"You know your aboriginal art." Mr. Rabe jumped in.

"I've never seen one like that before." Hank said and I turned towards the last glass case in the row, my eyes widened.

"It's Germanic, very rare, from about 900 A.D. We belong to organizations that protect native land from development. There's a lot of rich cultural heritage disappearing and we're trying to protect what's left, both locally and globally." Mrs. Rabe explained.

"Honey, I think you're getting a little irrelevant." Mr. Rabe cut in once again.

"Well, you have to respect your ancestors. Right, Detective?" Mrs. Rabe asked.

"I had to respect mine, otherwise I couldn't sit down for a week." Hank said.

"I hear that." I muttered, getting a closer look at the bear claw when Nick came over as well. Nick gave me a look and I nodded.

"Anyone else have access to the house when you were away?" Nick asked.

"Just our cleaning people." Mr. Rabe answered. "And out son, Barry, who's staying with friends. And our neighbors, the Colbert's, who check on our house from time to time when we're out of town." Nick and Hank asked a few more questions but my main focus was on the bear claw. If these people have this thing in their home than they're either human, who have no idea what they have, or...a very temperamental and protective wesen family. This day is getting better and better.

"Fijian war club?" Nick asked as we left.

"Second wife was an anthropologist." Hank explained to us.

"So there were two people in that house?" Nick asked. "So where's Gilda's boyfriend?"

"My guess, Rocky's home right now sleeping it off." Hank said and we got in the car, making a U-turn in the driveway then heading back to the station. The whole ride back I kept thinking about that damn claw. I swear I've seen one of them before.

"So you do this for kicks?" Hank asked, closing the door on the interrogation room. "Break into homes, party hard?

"We were just having fun!" Gilda said.

"Illegal fun." Hank countered.

"Gilda, you said after you dropped out of the window you heard Rocky scream, you started running away from the house and something chased you?" I asked her, looking over the file Nick had on the case.

"Yes." Gilda said, the water works coming on again. "It's my fault. I shoulda gone back for him but I just left him there. I left him there. Please. Please, you've gotta do something." She begged us through her tears. Wu knocked on the window of the door and gestured Hank to come talk to him, leaving the three of us in the room. Nick took out a handkerchief and handed it to her.

"Gilda, do you have any idea who was chasing you? A man? A dog?" She picked her head up. "Some kind of animal?" Nick asked.

"I...I don't know. I don't know. I couldn't really get a good look at it. I was so scared I just wanted to get out of there." She said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I know that something terrible has happened to him."

"But as you were leaving did you hear anything? Besides Rocky's screaming did you hear anything like another voice, a growl, anything that states something else or somebody else took Rocky?" I asked her.

"I think...I think I heard a growl but it didn't sound like one. It sounded...different than a normal one like a deep angry growl." She said then started to cry again. I looked at Nick and he looked at me before packing up the folder then leaving the room with me behind him.

"They went to Rocky's house, Rocky wasn't there." Hank told us as we were coming down the stairs.

We talked to his dad, truck driver, just got back night before last, and hasn't seen Rocky." Wu said.

"What about his mother?" Nick asked, putting on his jacket.

"Died when he was a kid." Wu answered.

"Did he have a cell phone?" Hank asked.

"Used to. Dad said they had to cut back on expenses so..."

"Did he have any idea where Rocky might be?" I asked this time.

"He said if you find his pick-up, that's where he'll be." Wu answered.

"Well, his truck's already been impounded. Gilda was driving it last night." Nick said. Wu gave us a shrug and said that's all he had on Rocky. Great, a dead end.

"What if their little party got out of hand, Rocky got hurt, maybe he fell down the stairs? Maybe Gilda pushed him, broke his neck. Gilda got scared. Dumped his body in a river or into the woods. Now she's trying to make it look like she's innocent." Hank came up with some theories but Gilda wasn't lying.

"I don't think she's trying to cover anything up." Nick said and I agreed.

"She's wasn't lying when I was watching her. I've seen some pretty good fakers but those tears were real and I believe something happened to Rocky. People don't just disappear." I said.

"I agree. I think we have to take another look at that house they broke into." Nick said just as his phone rang. "Hello?" Nicks eyes widened then looked at me. "Okay, we'll be there soon." A pause. "Yes, Ana is here with me...she's coming too. Bye."

"Aunt Marie?"

"She just woke up and she wants to see us." Nick said. I ran ahead of him and told him that I would take my own car, meeting him at the hospital. I got in my car and quickly drove to the hospital. I arrive just as Nick did and we took the elevator up to the floor where Aunt Marie's room was.

"She's very weak, but I realize you may not have much time." Her doctor said as we walked down the hall. I noticed guards were posted outside her room and thought that a Reaper could easily take out these two guards. "I'll be right outside." The doctor said.

"Hey Aunt Marie." I said as we entered her room. I walked to the other side of her bed and took her hand while Nick took the other.

"I thought we lost you." Nick said.

"Not yet." She gave out hands a squeeze.

"You're all we have left." I told her. Aunt Marie gave me a look and I shook my head. "I don't want this to happen."

"I know sweetie, I know. But you two will be all right." She said, trying to muster up a smile.

"I don't feel like I'm gonna be all right." Nick said. "I'm still trying to make sense of everything. If you two hadn't been here, I would have lost my mind. And I'm not sure I haven't."

"Don't doubt yourself."

"I've seen so much."

"And you'll see more. You have a responsibility that you cannot ignore."

"I couldn't ignore it if I tried it." I chuckled at what Nick said.

"You have to hunt down the bad ones. Just like your sister and your ancestors did. There's a reason that you're a cop and your sister a detective. You have an ability and you must use it, no matter what happens to me." Aunt Marie explained to Nick. I gripped her hand when a wave of pain hit her.

"I'll get a doctor." Nick started to get up but Aunt Marie pulled him back down.

"No." She said, taking a breath. "The Reapers followed me here. That means there could be more."

"How many are there?" Nick asked.

"Nobody knows. They just seem to...exist just to kill us." I said to Nick.

"What?"

"They're a secret organization dedicated to killing us." Aunt Marie spoke.

"You mean Grimms? There are more like us?" Nick asked.

"Yes. But I don't have contact with them. Ana ran into one on a case one time but that's all I heard about the others." Aunt Marie said to him.

"What about the things that I've been seeing? How many more of those are there?"

"There are more in the books than I've ever seen. You must not let the trailer be found. They don't know it exists." Aunt Marie said and took a few breaths. "I hope I haven't done more harm than good by coming to you. Please, listen to your sister..." Aunt Marie took another breath then her machines started to go off and waves of pain went through her. Her doctor came and gently pushed Nick away.

"Let her rest. You two can come back later." She said and I nodded, getting up and following Nick out but not before catching Aunt Marie's eyes. Her eyes told me to continue watching Nick...keep him safe. I nodded to her and followed Nick. As we took the elevator down Nick told me that Hank and him were going to check on the Rabes again, to question them some more.

"I'll follow behind you guys." I told him and got in my car. I waited a bit before Hank started to pull off. As we drove my cell phone rang so I put it on speaker. "Hello?"

"_It's about time I got a hold of you!_" A female voice shouted into the phone. Oh boy...

"Jade...how've ya been?" I asked slyly. I am so dead.

"_Don't how ya have been me! You told me you would call me as soon as you got a chance!"_ Jade yelled in phone again.

"I know I know it's just been busy here with Nick and wesen cases...I'm sorry." I said to her.

"_Wesen cases? What do you mean?_"

"A jogger died and a little girl went missing by a Blutbad which led us to another Blutbad but only this was a Wieder Blutbad." I told her.

"_A wieder Blutbad? That's rare; they usually stick to their meat eating ways. Is there anything else about this wieder Blutbad?" _Jade asked me.

"He's a clockmaker and a vegan who does Pilates. He's actually looking at a clock for me." I said.

"_Oh really? Is he any good?_" I heard Jade laugh in the background.

"Oh ha-ha very funny. Anyway, how's home?" I asked her.

"_Same as usual, everyone is missing you including your fan club and there are no sign of any Reapers. We think they either disappeared or followed you to Portland. We'll still keep an eye out just in case._" Jade said and in the background I could hear dishes being washed.

"Thanks. I have to say, teaching Nick is harder than I thought it would be. At first he was in denial but he's starting to understand but it's going to take some time." I said to her.

"_Well, can you blame him? He's just starting to see creatures you only hear in books or see in movies. This isn't like when you were little and had time to adjust. You and your aunt are throwing everything at Nick like he should know what to do!_" Jade began yelling again. She's getting the loudness from Catrina.

"I can HEAR you, Jade! Yes, I know but Aunt Marie knew she had little time to work with me so she trained me as best as she could because she knew that it would be up to me to get Nick's ass in gear for being a Grimm."

"_How is Auntie Marie by the way?_"

"When we arrived Hulda decided to make a lovely visit, attacking both Aunt Marie and myself but mostly Marie. Afterword's she slipped into a coma and now has just woken up from. While she was in her coma she had another attempt on her life so now there are guards outside her room." I explained but that didn't leave the bitter sound in my voice.

"_How is she feeling now?_"

"She's had two attempts on her life and is dying of cancer, how do you think she feels?"

"_Don't get snippy with me Grimm._" I could feel her woge through the phone and I mentally cursed myself.

"Sorry! Sorry! I'm just...stressed right now and..."

"_I understand. Just...we're friends Ana, don't forget that. You can talk to me._" Jade said and I knew she was right. I always tend to forget that have people to depend on.

"I know." I answered just as Nick and Hank pulled into the Rabes driveway. "Hey, can I call you back? I'm about to question a few suspects on a missing person case."

"_Sure. Call me later okay?_" Jade asked me.

"I will. Bye." I hung up just in time to slam on the break because the boys in front of me decided to stop suddenly, thanks to a bunch of boys on their toy bikes. Once the boys turned around we followed them to the Rabes house where they parked their bikes.

"Hey. Nice riding." Nick called as we got out of our cars.

"Yeah assholes, next time you'll be paying for any damages if I don't hit the breaks in time." I hissed at them, controlling the urge to woge.

"Oh, I hope we didn't scare you." The boy in the black jacket said with a smirk I wanted to slap off his face.

"Oh, no. You guys are lucky you didn't get thumped." Hank said.

"Look, we knew what we were doing." A boy in the red and black jacket said before turning towards me. "And besides, it wouldn't be so bad if you got stuck here with us." He winked at me and the Blutbad side I borrowed wanted to kill him.

"That's a good thing 'cause I hate cleaning blood off my car." Nick said.

"I agree. When it dries it stains and it's a bitch to get rid of." Smirked when the boy who flirted with me face drain of color. "You don't know how many times I've had to run over someone who likes to piss me off." I could feel my red eyes spark as a sick smile spread across my face.

"Are you guys here for my parents?" the kid in the black jacket asked, still looking a bit scared.

"Detectives Burkhardt and Griffin with Private Detective Burkhardt." Nick said and showed him his badge while I showed them mine.

"You're Barry Rabe. You live here, right?" Hank asked. I knew it! "You guys ever seen either of them?" Hank pulled out Gilda and her boyfriend's photo. "Oh, no, take your time. Make sure you don't know them from school or anything."

"Look, we've never seen them before." The kid in red and black said.

"Boys, dinner's ready. Wash up." We turned around to see Mrs. Rabe come out of the house. "What are you doing back here? Did you find out who broke into our house?"

"Yeah, we think so." Nick said to her.

"Frank, you should come out here." Mrs. Rabe called into the house.

"Ma'am, can you take a look at these?" Hank handed over the photos to the wife.

"The girl's already in custody but we haven't seen the guy yet. Have you ever seen either of these guys?" Nick asked while I kept my eye on the boys. The way they were looking at each other suspected me that they knew or have seen Gilda or her boyfriend.

"No."

"Me either."

"Hey, Barry, you didn't happen to come home last night, did you?" Nick asked.

"He was staying at Jason and T.B.'s house while we were gone." Mrs. Rabe said, moving closer to her son in a protective manner.

"Sorry, Mrs. Rabe. We have to ask, just in case he saw the boy leave." I said keeping my eyes trained on the son. If this family was wesen, the son would have less control of woging unlike his parents.

"Na, I didn't get home until this morning, after my parents got back." The boy woged...

I KNEW IT! HA-HA! I knew it as soon as I saw that damn bear claw!

I turned to Nick who had a look of fear so I jabbed him in the side to get him to stop staring while I couldn't stop smiling. The dad seemed to notice that something was off with Nick but he didn't say anything about it.

"No, I...I didn't see him." Barry continued.

"How far away do you guys live?" Hank asked.

"What is this?" The dad stepped in. Nick seemed to have snapped out of his daze and turned towards Mr. Rabe.

"Look, we're just trying to figure out where everybody was last night."

"We know they broke into your house but no one has seen the boy since last night." Hank stepped in.

"The girl said she heard a scream or a growl like noise inside the house after she left." I said to them.

"And you believe someone who broke into our house, drank our wine, ate our food, and took advantage of our bedroom?" The wife said, moving closer to me.

"The girlfriend wasn't lying when we questioning her." I said, not liking the way the wife was talking to me.

"How do you know she wasn't?"

"When people lie they don't realize that their body movements give them away. A small twitch, weak voice, and weather you look left or right, everybody has their own way of hiding a lie and she wasn't lying." I said to her, looking directly into her eyes and I knew for a split second that they were lying.

"I think you'd be better off looking under a few rocks. I wish you'd remember that we're the victims here." The wife said and turned around. "Boys, let's go inside the house."

"If you wanna talk to me you can call me tomorrow at my law firm." The husband said then went inside the house as well.

"Man, we really hit a nerve." Hank said. "And what was that about lying?"

"That family is lying. Their son knows something and his parents are covering it up." I said to them, walking back to my car. "Nick, I'm going to head home and get something to eat. Call me if you find anything." Nick gave me a nod before getting into his own car. I climbed into mine, following Hanks car out of the drive way then heading home.

~oOo~

"It's strange living by myself Marie. The house is quiet and it just seems so empty." I sat beside Aunt Marie in her hospital bed. I decided on the way back I should come visit her again before I head home. An empty home.

"It's going to feel like that for a while. But you'll get used to it." Aunt Marie said, patting my hand.

"I didn't have to raise two kids Aunt Marie. And besides, you were engaged. You weren't alone." I said to her. She sighed and looked me in the eyes.

"Sweetheart, I know this is going to be difficult for you, especially with Nick in a relationship when I've told you a thousand times not to get involved but it's only to protect them and yourself from getting hurt." She explained to me.

"Nick doesn't see that and it...makes me jealous that he has something I will probably never have. This sucks, I hate my gift." I rested my head by her hand and felt her fingers running through my hair.

"I know and I wish neither of you two had this gift. It's a terrible responsibility but you have to take control and show Nick that there is a responsibility to being a Grimm." I sighed. I know, I know but I still want a life Aunt Marie. You had a life...I want that too.

"Did it hurt when you broke up with Farley?" I asked her. Marie was quiet for a bit before she spoke.

"It did but I had to be a parent." She answered me.

"But you could've stayed with him even though you had us. Why did leave him."

"I knew raising the two of you, being with Farley, and being a Grimm would complicate things for me. I had to let Farley go...even it hurt the both of us." She said and I picked my head up to look at her.

"Do you still love him?"

"Yes, yes I still do." I smiled and wiped a tear that feel from her eyes.

"If I ever fall in love with a wesen would you ever be mad at me?"

"I would be mad at you if you feel in love with a human. Their heads would explode if you ever told them the truth." We laughed and I continued to smile at her. "No, no I don't think I would be mad at you. Just do me one thing if that ever does happen."

"What?"

"If you ever fall in love with a wesen, not matter what they are, if you truly love them, never let them go. You fight to keep them with you. Don't make the same mistake I did. Hold them close and never let them go." She said and now, tears were coming to my eyes.

"I will. I promise."

"I love you Anastasia. Never forget that." I leaned over and kissed her bald head.

"I love you to Aunt Marie."

~oOo~


	6. Chapter 6

~oOo~

"Why do I have to tag along?" I asked Nick as we approached Monroe's house. Last night Nick had a nightmare where Nick stabbed him in the hand with a knife. I laughed when he told me but sobered when he gave me a look. In his hand was the bear claw from Aunt Marie's trailer which he decided to hide in a paper bag. Smooth Nick.

"Because you're also a Grimm and since you can't remember much about this type of wesen you might enjoy a lesson." Nick said and gave me a smirk, knocking on Monroe's door.

"It's not that I can't remember, I meant it's been a while since I've dealt with this type of wesen. The only time I've come across one recently before this, was a year ago while hunting down a convict." I said to Nick. When there was no answer Nick knocked again a few more times. "You're persistent aren't you?" Nick gave me a smile just as Monroe opened the door dressed in a t-shirt, striped pj pants and sneakers. He must be in the middle of his exercise.

"We need to talk." Nick said to him and Monroe rolled his eyes.

"Not at 6:30 in the morning we don't." Monroe went to close the door but Nick stopped him, pushing his way through.

"This is important." I shook my head and was so grateful Monroe was not like normal wesen. _Manners Nick, manners._

"Oh, well, come on in, then. Have a cup of coffee. Bagel? Cream cheese?" Monroe asked still holding the door open. He turned to me, expecting me to follow Nick but I just smiled and waved.

"Good morning Monroe, may I come in?" I asked and Monroe gave me an are-you-serious look.

"There's a first for everything. Come in." I smile and moved passed Monroe into his house, actually glade to be invited in unlike Nick.

"Look first I wanna thank you for helping me out with the kidnapping." Nick started.

"A gift basket would've been nice." I smiled at his comeback. "How long is this gonna take? I'm right in the middle of my Palates, man."

"You ever seen one of these?" Nick handed over the paper bag. Monroe took the bag, his eyes held confusion as he picked up the bear claw by one of the claws.

"Not up close, thank god." He said and sniffed it. "I think Jagerbars use these for disemboweling." I glanced over at Nick who looked a little scared. "Now I'm hungry." He handed Nick back the claw, heading for the kitchen. "Sure you don't want a bagel? I'm gonna French press some coffee, too. Guatemalan Highlands. Craft- Roasted. Very robust." I chuckled and shook my head. Monroe is certainly a very strange wesen.

"No thank you Monroe, although, I would love to try that coffee." I said and gave him a smile, making a slight tint come to his cheeks before he turned away.

"What do you know about Jagerbars?" Nick asked.

"What am I, your personal Grimmopedia? Shouldn't you be helping him?"

"I'm a little rusty with Jagerbars." I told him, walking over to the island in his kitchen.

"No, you're a Blutbad and I'm assuming that Blutbad know about Jagerbaden." Nick said and I groaned causing Monroe to chuckle.

"It's just Jagerbars." Monroe answered then turned towards me. "Did you tell him that?"

"Hell no, I actually haven't gotten to teach him anything yet since I just moved into my house and got everything settled. Once this case is over is when I'll start teaching him." I said and Nick gave me a look.

"Anyway, you see them like I see them, right?"

"Yes." _No duh, Sherlock!_

"Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out what I'm up against here since someone won't really help me." Nick pointed that at me and I held up my hands.

"Don't look at me Nick. I'm doing what Marie did to me. Learning through experience. You'll get the hang of it; just don't compare wesen to other wesen." I said to him.

"Exactly! Don't even compare the two. We don't rummage like they do." Monroe said, offended Nick would say something like that. "How did you guys run across a Jagerbar anyway?"

"We're working a case and Nick and I saw a kid turn into one." I spoke up.

"That where you got the claw?"

"No, our aunt had it." Nick answered.

"Oh, right, her again. Aunt Marie, right? Yeah. I couldn't sleep the last two nights thinking old Aunt Marie was gonna cut off my head and stick it on a lamp post." Monroe said and I almost woged from slight anger. "That's how my great grandma ended up, you know."

"Hey, she's still in the hospital." Nick said.

"Oh, sorry." There was a slight pause as I looked down at my hands, trying not to look at anyone. "Um, they use those claws in the Roh-Hatz." Monroe spoke softly.

"Roh-Hatz?" Nick repeated and then everything I learned came rushing back.

"Oh god, now I remember." I said and placed my face in my hands.

"It's like a Bar Mitzvah for bears, you know. A Jager Bar Mitzvah. It's a very physical thing. A lot of pounding of chest and like, wailing. But who wails anymore?" Monroe explained. "Supposed to connect with the primitive beat in all of us. And believe me. I do mean all of us." Monroe said and handed me a cup of coffee. I thanked him and took a sip, surprised that it tasted really good.

"So what do they do?" Nick asked.

"Like Monroe said it's a bar Mitzvah when a young Jagerbar comes of age and is ready they do this 'chase'." I said, taking another sip.

"What chase?" Nick asked.

"The Roh-Hatz, you know. Cave man mumbo jumbo." Monroe dropped his voice, "let's get some beers and barbecue and be stupid. I mean I like to camp as much as the next guy, you know, maybe once a year. You want plain or onion?" Monroe asked but Nick put his glass down, heading out the door.

"I gotta go." The he was gone.

"Oh, well. Thanks for stopping by." Monroe said then looked at me since I was putting my glass down too.

"I'll be right back." I asked and chased after Nick. "Nick!" Nick rolled down his window of his car. "Where are you going?"

"To see Aunt Marie. I'll call you if I need anything." I backed off and watched Nick pull away. I sighed and went back inside, closing the door behind me. Monroe was still in the kitchen, making his breakfast and giving me a look when I walked in.

"What?" I asked him, taking up the coffee he gave me.

"Aren't you supposed to be going with him? You know; Grimm apprentice and all that stuff?" Monroe asked me, making himself a bagel.

"Why? You want me to go?" I asked him with a smirk on my face. "You could go back to your morning exercise."

"Nah, too late anyway." He paused for a moment before his eyes lit up. "Oh! By the way, those parts for your clock will be in a week. Once they come in, if you don't mind, I'll like to come back over and fix it at your house instead of you having to drag it over here and ruin it even more. No offense." He said and I waved my hand.

"None taken. Clocks are your thing. About Nick; I decided to let Nick off on his own for a bit. He needs to learn things on his own. When Grimms are stuck they need to find things on their own." I explained to Monroe.

"Is that what your Aunt did to you when she trained you?" Monroe asked.

"When I turned twenty she did. When I was younger she would allow me to tag along with her, only the ones she knew I could take care of myself or not be in any danger of course." I explained to him; enjoy the heat of the coffee going down my throat.

"What about Nick? Wouldn't he see you two running off to help Wesen? Didn't he ever ask questions?" I chuckled and smiled at the Blutbad.

"At first he did but Aunt Marie explained to him that we females need bonding time." I said with a smile and Monroe choked on his coffee.

"He actually believed that?" I nodded and Monroe actually started to laugh. It actually sounded really good for a laugh from a Blutbad. "Your brother does look as absent minded as he looks."

Monroe and I talked a little bit more before I looked at the clock and cursed, telling Monroe that I had to meet with someone very important. I had gotten a text message this morning from a certain 'guardian' of mine to meet me at the park to a chat. He said it was no problem and reminded me about the parts for the clock. I thanked him for the coffee and the parts before briskly walking out of his house and towards my car with a half smile on my face.

~oOo~

"There's gonna be another attempt on your Aunt's life." Serenity said as we walked down a path way in the park she told me to meet her at. For being half a spirit, I'm surprised she can actually drink coffee. Serenity was dressed in everything white; her hair and eyes still the same color as before.

"She's not going to survive this one is she?" I asked her, my voice even as I took a sip of my coffee.

"The stress will be too much for her." Serenity paused then spoke again. "When she departs I will make sure her soul goes safely to the other side and does not linger."

"So you're like an angel? Helping departed souls over to the other side?" I asked her. I know little next to nothing about Serenity. She's told me nothing of grand importance about her and it kind of hurts me a bit that she doesn't trust me enough to tell me more about herself.

"It's not that I don't trust you Anastasia, I just want you to be prepared for what I will tell you. That night of your death I did more than just save your life." She said.

"Yeah I know. You took half of it away, saying I will once again have a full soul when I am ready to receive it again. What does that mean anyway?" I said, moving aside as a mother pushed a stroller with her baby inside with her daughter clutching at her side.

"You will see when the time comes. Until then keep doing what are doing. Make sure Nick stays on the right path, prepare for heartache but know it will fade. I have faith you will know right choices from wrong later on when they are needed." She patted my head like a small child before gesturing to my phone attached to my hip. Just as she did that it started to go off, Nick's ring tone playing.

"Nick what's up?" I answered it.

"_They took the protection off of Marie and I need some help. Can you come to the hospital?_" Nick asked. I looked at Serenity but she was already gone. "_Hello?_"

"Yeah, sorry Nick I was distracted. I'll be there in a few minutes Nick." I hung the phone and placed it back in its holder. I turned around at the sound of laughter and saw the same mother and daughter playing near the playground. They both looked so happy, enjoying the shared time together without anything to worry about. Nothing else really mattered at that moment. I felt a sadness set in my stomach. I never had that happiness with my mother and if I did I can't remember much. Everything feels like a distant memory that's fogged in my brain.

I look one last look before throwing my coffee that has gone cold out. I walked back to my car feeling tense and unease. My Aunt's death approaches and I can't do anything to stop it and it doesn't mean I have to like it.

~oOo~

"Monroe, what are you doing here?" I asked, noticing Nick talking to Monroe as I approached them.

"Monroe agreed to stay here and keep an eye on Aunt Marie while we go and finish this case." Nick said but I shook my head.

"No Nick, not this time. I'm staying here with Aunt Marie with Monroe and you're going to finish this case." I told him with my hands on my hips.

"Why?"

"You know everything you need and there are going to be wesen cases like this where I won't be there. Nick, this is a test for me to see you can handle this type of stuff. You're the Grimm not me." I told him. Nick sighed and put a hand on Monroe's shoulder.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Nick said and left. Monroe looked at me and I gave him a reassuring smile before going over to Marie and sitting next to her.

For a while Monroe didn't sit down or do anything really. He cursed to himself a few times and continued to pace. I couldn't help but laugh softly a few times at his demeanor towards my Aunt whose way past her prime to do major damage on him. I looked up from where I rest my head in my arms to see Monroe breathing heavily over Marie in some type of anger.

"You people murdered my grandfather. The Grimms burned down his farm, cut off his head, his hands and feet. Okay, now he deserved it for some of the things he did. But if my parents could see me now, standing this close to you and not avenging the family, last Thanksgiving I'd be invited to. I can tell you that." Monroe finished. I was about to say something but Marie opened her eyes and looked at Monroe with this cool attitude.

"Take your best shot, Blutbad." Marie said in a smooth tone. I watched as his eyes turned red and it sent a shiver down my spine but I sat up straight when a man, maybe in his mid-thirties, appeared in the doorway, surprised to see people in Marie's room before walking out the door of the staircase.

"Monroe, stay here." I stood up, giving Marie a kiss on the forehead before moving around the bed to go after the man.

"You're not going after him are you?" Monroe asked and I turned back towards him.

"I need you to protect her Monroe. Please, stay here and watch her." I said and gave him a smile before taking off for the man.

I sped down the staircases down towards the basement area where I slowly approached the open area. The man from before stepped out from the pillar next to me and landed a hard blow to my jaw, making my head spin. I felt him take a hold of my arms and drag me into the open area where his other friend was ready, giving me another hard blow to my stomach, knocking the air from me. "You bastards are going to pay for that." I whipped my head up, knocking the guy behind me in the head making his arms loosen. The guy in front of me tried to take another swing at me but I grabbed his wrist, sharply turning it until I could hear the snap of the bone breaking. I forgot about the one behind me and he delivered a hard blow to the back of my head, forcing me to the ground. The two ganged up on me, kicking me sharply in the ribs before a loud growl erupted. Monroe in his Blutbad form took one of the guys and slammed him up against the pipes on the ceiling. The other guy pulled out a gun but Monroe was quicker, taking a hold of the arm and slamming him into a pillar before ripping the arm out.

I managed to get to my feet, wiping the blood away from my nose as I approached Monroe. He was still in his Blutbad form, breathing heavily as he looked down at the blood on the ground. Monroe slowly turned and looked at me, his eyes blazing red locked on to mine as he slowly approached.

"Monroe, Monroe stop." I said but the Blutbad was quicker, seizing me by the forearms, bringing his face close to mine. Slowly I brought my hands up to Monroe's face, looking him in the eyes, not afraid at all. "Monroe come back! You're stronger than this! Break away and come back! Let it go!" I said to him and I could tell he heard me when he began shaking his head until he woged back to normal.

"Sorry." He said and looked at where his nails dug into my arm. "What did I do?" He asked and I grabbed his arm and started to grab him away from the bloody beaten people.

"Come on. We have to get to out of here." I said and led him back the way we came.

"What about you? You're the one that needs help." Monroe almost made me stop but I continued to drag him along.

"I'll be fine. I've been in worse scraps than this and besides, the doctors won't believe I ripped a guys arm out." I said to him.

"I do feel bad about that." Monroe said and it actually made me smile.

"Do you have your phone on you?" I asked him and he reached inside his pocket for it. "Call Nick and say you can't stay here anymore. Once we get upstairs go home. I can handle the rest."

Monroe called Nick and told him just that. Once we got to the upper floor I told Monroe that I would call him as soon as I can or pay him a visit later. He was a bit reluctant but I made him go. Once I got back to the floor Marie was on one of the nurses noticed me holding my side and I made up the excuse that I fell down the flight of stairs and passed out for a bit before coming up here. When she disappeared I called Nick and told him to move his ass down here. There's no way I can protect Aunt Marie now and I just hope it isn't too late for Nick to stop the rest if there is any.

"Nick hurry up."

But it was too late by the time Nick arrived...

~oOo~


End file.
